Louisa County adopts higher-contribution health plan to shore up reserves

The Louisa County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt the county's recommended health-insurance renewal option after a presentation from Jerry Corning of Assured Partners. Corning told the board the county's pooled plan has seen a claims spike and a higher loss ratio this year, and he recommended a modestly higher county contribution to stabilize reserves.

Corning, who identified himself as representing Assured Partners (SEG 220'SEG 223), said the county joined an ISAC pool in 2022 to blunt year-to-year swings. He reported a full-year loss ratio of about 73% in one recent year and roughly 91% in the last year, with a two-year average around 82%. Corning said the county's claims had already approached $223,000 year-to-date and that the fund reserve stood at about $648,000 (figures presented during the meeting). He urged the board to choose the option that would add to the reserve rather than deplete it.

The renewal packet presented three options. Corning said the carrier (ISAC) is increasing rates by about 6% overall; the presentation showed option 3 would leave a small surplus for reserves, option 2 a smaller surplus, and option 1 would reduce reserves by approximately $129,000. Corning described changes employees would see: the plan's out-of-pocket maximum increases from about $6,800 to $7,500, while the county continues to buy down employee deductibles. He also encouraged stronger employee participation in the pool's wellness program, which can create discounts if participation thresholds are met.

Unidentified board members and staff pressed Corning on employee impact and desktop math. Corning said a single-plan employee's monthly increase under the highest option would be roughly $72.03 before payroll-tax effects and that the employee portion (15%) would be a modest share of that monthly change. After discussion, Speaker 1 moved to adopt option 3; the motion was seconded and the board approved the renewal option (vote recorded as "aye"). The board recorded the motion to adopt the higher-contribution option to maintain reserves and reduce the risk of a much larger increase in a future bad year.

Corning offered to provide additional materials and suggested the board coordinate a wellness-promotion call with ISAC staff to increase employee participation and the potential wellness discount. The board did not set additional public hearings on the contract; the vote implemented the selected renewal path.