Ohio County hears broker pitch to reduce employee health costs; firm offers fees-at-risk and pharmacy programs

Ryan Secord, government affairs consultant for the Henry Act Group, told Ohio County commissioners at their meeting that his firm could identify immediate savings in the county's employee health plan and would be willing to put a portion of its fee at risk.

Secord said his firm's work in nearby counties has produced measurable results. "We were able to pull $474,000 out of the budget immediately, and put it back into Switzerland County's coffers," he said, adding that the change "also wiped out the $300,000 increase that Pinnacle had brought them, so a total savings of $774,000 for the year." He described programmatic steps—such as a distribution pharmacy program he called "Sharks"—that, he said, target a small number of high-cost prescriptions to reduce pharmacy spending.

The consultant framed his approach as a data-driven disruption analysis that would map where employees receive care and then recommend minimally disruptive options that could be implemented in phases. "We would take that information and say, hey. What's your tolerance for where you wanna be financially?" Secord said, explaining how the county could weigh disruption versus savings.

Commissioners asked about contractual limits. Several asked whether a third-party administrator or local hospital contract (repeatedly referenced in the discussion as MedBend and Pinnacle) would prevent changes. Secord said existing relationships likely would remain intact: "MedBend would go nowhere. The only person that would leave is Pinnacle," he said, adding that his firm would "try to tighten up the things around it that are outside of that, potentially the stop loss, potentially the pharmacy."

Skepticism came from multiple commissioners. One unidentified participant said, "That's my fear with making a move," noting concern that an initial low price could be followed by larger increases in later years; another asked for a written proposal. Commissioners and Secord agreed he would provide an RFP-style written proposal and an agent-of-record letter for the county attorney to review; Secord said he could deliver the materials before Thanksgiving.

The presentation concluded with a procedural request: a commissioner asked Secord to put his plan in writing, and Secord agreed. No formal procurement decision or contract award was made at the meeting.

What's next: Secord agreed to submit written materials and return to the commissioners' next meeting to answer questions; commissioners also suggested they would consult peers in neighboring counties about their experiences under the proposed changes.