Franklin County shifts employee health and insurance plans to Anthem and Standard; approves investment moves

Frankfort — Franklin County Fiscal Court on Oct. 15 approved a package of employee-benefit changes and short-term investment actions to take effect in 2026.

Squire Mike Harrod moved, and Squire Kelly Dycus seconded, to transition the county’s medical insurance coverage from UnitedHealthcare to Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield for Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2026; the court approved the motion 7-0. The court also approved moving dental and vision plans from Guardian to Anthem, transitioning critical insurance and employer-paid life/AD&D and voluntary life coverage from Guardian to Standard, renewing an employee-only medical waiver plan through a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA), and authorizing county contributions to employee-only Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) for 2026. Each motion passed unanimously.

On financial-management items, the court authorized the Treasurer to open a new bank account and to open a six-month certificate of deposit of $700,000 to improve investment earnings; both motions passed 7-0. The court received the Treasurer’s Quarterly Report ending Oct. 31, 2025, and approved budget transfers for FY 2025-2026.

Why it matters: changes to insurance carriers affect county employees’ coverage networks, plan administrators and potentially costs; the CD and banking actions reflect county cash-management choices. The minutes record the carrier changes and investment authorizations but do not include premium rates, estimated cost impacts to the county, or specific HRA/HSA contribution amounts.

What the record shows and does not show: the minutes list effective dates (Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2026) for insurance transitions and the CD amount ($700,000), but they do not provide vendor contract terms, premium comparisons, or actuarial cost estimates. The court voted unanimously on the measures.

Next steps: county human resources and finance staff will implement carrier transitions, finalize enrollment materials, and execute banking moves consistent with the court’s authorization.