At today’s meeting, Brown County Commissioners were given a report about the County’s health insurance plan from Blue Cross.  The report was presented by Bart Johnson of Painter Johnson Associates.  Johnson said that the Blue Cross “Claim Ratio” this year has been 127%, in other words the claims that Blue Cross has paid for Brown County employees has exceeded the premium revenues by 27%.  The high claims paid, according to Johnsons, was a result of several unusual but expensive surgeries, and increased prescription costs.  As a result, the cost for the same plan for the next fiscal year, which begins October 1, will increase by 9.2%.  Brown County’s health insurance is through the Texas Association of Counties Health and Employee Benefits Pool.  Being part of the pool helped to buffer the cost increase, which likely would have been more if Brown County were not part of the pool.  Johnson said the average rate increase in the pool was 6.2%.  The rate increase could be reduced somewhat if the County would raise the employee deductible, but Commissioners did not want to do that, and voted to keep the plan as is.  The monthly cost per employee will increase from $1,075.92 to $1,174.90, an increase of $98.98 per employee per month.  The County’s health insurance plan is one of the largest expenses in the budget, totaling some $3.9 million in the current year fiscal year.

In other business, the Commissioners passed a resolution commemorating the 120th anniversary of Brown County Jail.  The old jail, located downtown across the street from the Courthouse, was built and opened in June 1903.  It served as the County Jail until 1981.  The building is now part of the Brown County Museum of History.