The Caroline County Commissioners voted on May 6 to direct the county Office of Human Resources to pursue a transition from the state's health insurance plan to a county‑run, self‑insured plan administered by Avery Hall, and to allow pre‑Medicare retirees to remain on county coverage.

Sherry Bratton, director of the Office of Human Resources, told the board the change would "allow us the flexibility to create a plan set up the way we choose for our employees" and would permit the county to offer retiree coverage at pre‑Medicare ages. Bratton said the county had held multiple meetings with employees and the employee advisory board, and that employees had indicated a strong preference to keep the same network and plan features where possible.

Amy Hubbard, personnel benefits coordinator, said the county could keep the same provider network and the same prescription vendor used prior to a January statewide change. "We would be going back to the same prescription provider we had prior to the change in January," Hubbard said.

County finance staff told commissioners the switch to a self‑insured model was expected to be cost‑comparable and possibly slightly lower for the employer side, but that the county should build plan experience during the first one to two years and therefore keep employee contribution rates unchanged in year one. Finance remarks were attributed to Daniel Fox and to county financial analysis presented to the board.

The board approved a motion directing HR to move forward with Avery Hall and to keep employee contribution rates the same for the initial year. The motion passed by voice vote with commissioners indicating "aye." County staff said they will notify the state that Caroline County intends to leave the state's plan effective July 1 and will begin open enrollment for employees.

Bratton and Hubbard also proposed changing the county dental carrier from Delta Dental to Sun Life, which would raise the plan's annual maximum benefit from $1,000 to $1,500 for a modest cost increase. Staff said some local dentists had not accepted the county's prior dental plan, creating out‑of‑pocket costs for employees.

Why it matters: the change moves the county off the state's pooled plan and onto a self‑insured model that county staff say will allow more rapid plan design changes, preserve provider continuity for most employees, and extend retiree coverage for pre‑Medicare beneficiaries. Staff will return with retiree cost proposals and final rates as open enrollment proceeds.

Speakers quoted: Sherry Bratton, Director of the Office of Human Resources; Amy Hubbard, Personnel Benefits Coordinator; Todd, Vice President, Employee Advisory Board; Daniel Fox, county finance (financial remarks).