Department of Finance & Budget: Annual Health Insurance Renewal Plan Year July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027
Calvert County Board of County Commissioners · 5024-5 ·
Consent
What the bill says
On the agenda for Board of County Commissioners — 2026-05-05 — 2026-05-05. Agenda section: CONSENT
Background
CareFirst and Bolton Partners prepare projected health care premiums annually. Some aspects of plan design remain unchanged from the prior year. The health insurance plan year from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 resulted in an estimated total of $19,425,764 in claims paid.
Discussion
There are three entities that fund the county’s projected $24.39 million health care cost: the county, employees and retirees. Historically, the plan has been managed so that the county funds approximately 80% of total costs, with the remaining 20% funded through combined employee and retiree premiums. The proposed cost-sharing structure reflects a shift in the BlueChoice HMO plan from an 80% employer and 20% employee split to an 83% employer and 17% employee split. This adjustment increases the county’s contribution toward the HMO plan, resulting in a lower cost share for employees enrolled in that option. The BlueChoice Advantage plan reflects a cost share of 80% employer and 20% employee, aligning with the county’s overall funding approach while maintaining a higher employee cost share relative to the HMO plan.
Coordination
Department of Human Resources
Extracted from the source document (public record).
Documents
What analysts say
No independent (CBO/CRS-style) analysis exists for county measures. The nearest analog is the sponsoring department's own assessment, from its staff memo — self-reported, not independent:
Fiscal Impact (staff-reported)
The estimated total claims for the plan year July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 are $24,394,581.
Conclusion/Recommendation (staff-reported)
Staff recommends revising the member contribution for the BlueChoice HMO plan, shifting the cost share from 80% employer and 20% employee to 83% employer and 17% employee for the plan year July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. Staff further recommends applying a cost share of 80% employer and 20% employee to the BlueChoice Advantage plan for the plan year July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.
Reported by the sponsoring department — Department of Finance & Budget · Malena Brookshire, Chief Financial Officer · 2026-04-15 in its own memo, not an independent estimate. Source memo.
What politicians say
No linked claims or utterances yet — no one on record has cited this measure to justify a public argument.