Looking at rate hike, Beauregard jury moves to shop health insurance

Sept. 14--The Beauregard Parish Police Jury's health insurance premium is going to increase for the upcoming year. The question is how much.

Kathy Sonnier of Insurance Resource Group gave the jury's Insurance Committee a preview of the situation at its meeting Tuesday.

Blue Cross Louisiana is the carrier for the parish employee plan. The parish picks up the entire premium, passing none of it along to employees.

This yea, through August, the parish has paid $941,000 in premiums and Blue Cross has paid $1 million in claims.

In 2016, the parish paid $956,000 in premiums and Blue Cross paid $523,000 in claims.

Because of the positive premiums paid to claims paid differential, the parish had a premium increase for this fiscal year of only 2 per cent.

This year is a different kettle of fish.

With claims exceeding premiums by about $60,000, the parish, Sonnier said, can expect a premium increase, perhaps in the neighborhood of 15-18 per cent.

Sonnier noted that one employee's claim totaled almost 10 per cent of the group's total this year.

That employee is no longer part of the plan group, she said. There were two other extraordinarily large claims, she said.

"You are probably looking at a double-digit increase, maybe a 15-18 per cent rate rise," she said, though she emphasized that nothing its definite until final experience numbers are in.

Nevertheless the committee voted to authorized Sonnier to shop the parish's business to other carriers than Blue Cross.

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