Commissioners halt contract

It’s time to go in a different direction.

Jay County Commissioners agreed to terminate a contract with Understand, Service and Innovate (USI) Insurance Services on Monday.

The agreement has a 60-day out clause, meaning the county and company will work together for another two months before the contract is officially terminated. Amid the waiting period, Jay County officials will likely look into an agreement with a different health insurance broker.

Commissioners hosted an executive session Thursday to discuss issues stemming from the company, including problems with communication, open enrollment, billing, carriers, employee coverage and other services.

Issues with how USI Insurance Services has handled its dealings with the county have been cropping up since it took control at the end of last year. Company representatives met with commissioners during a special meeting in March to talk about concerns, with the company agreeing to step up its communication efforts to meet the county’s needs. 

Commissioners president Chad Aker said Monday the company hasn’t met Jay County Auditor’s Office’s or commissioners’ expectations since then.

“We had given them a chance to, I guess, correct their shortcomings, and it was not done to the commissioners’, as well as the auditor’s office, satisfaction,” said Aker. “We have discussed changing brokers.”

Last year, commissioners looked into options from three insurance brokers regarding fully funded and partially self-funded health insurance plans for employees. They included then county broker OneDigital of Fort Wayne, Unified Group Services — it came recommended by Steve Stockton of Portland’s Bixler Insurance — and USI Insurance Services of Carmel. 

In August, USI Insurance Services indicated the county had overspent about $780,000 on insurance, per data from Physicians Health Plan between 2020 and 2024. Representatives told commissioners clients who switch to their care save on average $180,000 annually.

Jessica Clayton of OneDigital warned commissioners in October about switching to a partially self-funded plan, pointing to the number of claims outweighing the county’s premiums in prior years. Forrest Williamson of Unified Group Services referenced the same issue.

Commissioners decided in November to switch from OneDigital to USI Insurance Services and stick with a fully funded plan. (USI Insurance Services also said in November that a partially self-funded plan wouldn’t be viable for 2025 based on recent claims history.) Commissioners approved a nearly $1.58 million proposal with Physicians Health Plan in November, with an 8% increase in cost for 2025. They selected an option that required the county to pay an additional $79,000 to offer lower monthly rates for some plans. 

County attorney Wes Schemenaur noted the auditor’s office has been frustrated in dealing with USI Insurance Services.

“I think we’ve given them ample time according to the contract to address these issues and it sounds like we’re still having some,” said Schemenaur. “I think there were a number of concerns that we addressed in executive session about various employees, coverages and maybe lack thereof that create some concerns for us … I think that those things need to be addressed quickly.”

Commissioners Doug Horn, Duane Monroe and Aker then decided to terminate the agreement.