Kankakee CountyFinance Committee members on Sept. 18 approved a recommended alternate medical plan from Blue Cross Blue Shield, a 9.11% increase to the county
s self-funded dental rates and continuation of the county
s employee assistance program.

The committee moved to replace the initial Blue Cross renewal after staff and the subcommittee reviewed multiple proposals and loss‑ratio data. Anita, a county staff member who led the procurement review, said the insurer
s initial renewal was 21.3% (about $1,559,000 in total premium), with the county
s share roughly $1,169,000 and employee contributions averaging 25% (about $389,000).

Mike Lynch, the county
s insurance broker with MSL Benefits, told the committee that large medical claims and sharply rising prescription spending were driving rates statewide. "There's a 50 some percent increase in drug usage in both specialty medications and non specialty medications," Lynch said, citing higher use of specialty drugs and GLP‑1 class drugs.

Nut graf: The committee approved a lower‑cost Blue Cross plan alternative after comparing plan designs, carrier responses and a brief UnitedHealthcare quote that was not seen as comparable; the subcommittee recommended "Alternate 4" as the most cost‑effective option that preserved core benefits.

In committee discussion, staff explained that several carriers declined to quote or returned steep increases (one carrier cited a 43% increase). After negotiations, Blue Cross offered a discount that reduced an earlier 21% renewal to a lower percentage; the subcommittee concluded that Alternate 4 (a plan with higher deductibles than the current $1,000 design) offered the best balance of cost and benefit structure. Committee members asked about employee choices; staff said affected employees in discontinued plan designs (about 20 people) would be able to select from the remaining options.

On dental, county staff recommended a 9.11% increase to reflect higher claims costs for the self‑insured dental program. Anita said staff reviewed market comparisons and set the increase to a level intended to avoid depleting the program
s reserves while remaining below many fully insured market rates.

The committee also unanimously approved continuation of the county EAP. Anita said the program (previously provided by Perspectives and now operated under All 1 Health following an acquisition) costs $1.95 per employee per month (about $12,400 per year) and has been provided at that rate since 2019; two‑thirds of employees who use EAP services contact EAP after staff referral.

Formal actions: the single motion combined approval of the recommended Blue Cross Alternate 4 medical plan and the dental rate increase; the motion was made by Weber and seconded by Llewellyn and carried on a roll call in which all present voted aye. A separate motion to continue the EAP carried on roll call (second by Parker).

Discussion versus decision: the record shows detailed discussion of vendor quotes, loss ratios, and pharmacy trends but the committee took formal action only on selecting the alternate Blue Cross plan, approving the dental rate change and continuing EAP. No further policy changes or new contracts beyond the renewals were adopted at the meeting.

Ending: County staff said they will provide detailed plan comparisons to any committee member who requests them and will proceed to implement the selected plan options for plan year administration.