Stephenson County finance committee reviews 2025 insurance losses and RxMapper pilot

Unidentified Speaker 3 (benefits presenter) briefed the Stephenson County Finance Committee on Feb. 13, 2026, saying the county paid “approximately 4,400,000.0 in premiums” and that “total claims paid paid out was about 4,600,000.0,” and warned specialty prescription costs were a principal driver of rising health-care spending.

The presenter said carriers have begun new property appraisals that will likely increase insured values as replacement costs rise, and reiterated the county’s current liability structure — including a $10 million umbrella and a $50,000 work‑comp deductible. On the effect of appraisals, the presenter said premiums could increase in the single digits to the low‑teens percentage range but added that ICRMT’s practices tend to mitigate extreme spikes.

On worker pay after job‑related injuries, the presenter described the Illinois Public Employee Disability Act and told the committee that firefighters and law‑enforcement officers are statutorily entitled to full pay while off duty for on‑the‑job injuries; the presenter also noted ICRMT offers additional coverage to replace the remaining portion of payroll at an estimated supplemental premium but did not recommend that endorsement given the $50,000 deductible.

The committee also heard an update on RxMapper, a pharmacogenomics sequencing program intended to reduce specialty drug spending. The presenter said the board previously authorized up to $13,000 to enroll as many as 10 employees; in January five employees completed sequencing, one more was scheduled for screening and one did not qualify. “We approved up to 10,” the presenter said, noting that any enrollment beyond 10 would require additional board approval.

Staff reported RxMapper outreach (email drip campaigns and department‑level communication) began in late December/early January; the January invoice was submitted with two employees sequenced and additional billings expected in February. The presenter described a nominal membership fee ($2 per employee per month) as a sunk cost if employees do not participate. The transcript contains invoice figures that are unclear in formatting; those numbers are reported as presented by the presenter in the meeting.

Committee members asked about year‑over‑year enrollment declines and the drivers of higher specialty‑drug spending. The presenter said specialty drugs accounted for about $780,000 in high‑cost prescription claims in 2025 and that specialty claimants represented a material share of total claims. The presenter recommended continued investment in loss‑control, employee education about plan tools and price comparison, and monitoring of appraisals and plan migrations.

The committee took no formal vote on benefits policy at the meeting; staff said they will return with appraisal results, enrollment trend detail, and any cost estimates tied to potential endorsements or expanded RxMapper enrollment.