During a special session on Monday, the Greenville City Council voted 3 to 1 to continue employee health insurance with United Healthcare with Nick Floyd & Associates serving as administrator.
Every year or two, the City of Greenville puts out an RFP (request for proposal) for health care for all of its employees and this year it will come at a cost of roughly $2.8 million.
Health insurance proposals were received at a July 15 council meeting from Assured Benefits Administrators, iOne Benefits Group, BXS Insurance and Nick Floyd & Associates.
The motion was made by councilwoman Lurann Thomas-Kingdom and seconded by councilwoman Lois Hawkins. Councilman James Wilson recused himself from the vote.
The lone vote of “nay ” was by Councilman Al Brock.
Nick Floyd & Associates has a long running history with the City of Greenville as the administrator for its city employee healthcare.
Other clients of Nick Floyd & Associates include the Harris County Board of Supervisors and the City of Gulfport.
However, the company’s proposal revealed it would yield the least in the amount of savings for the city as it pertains to employee healthcare.
Councilman Al Brock highlighted iOne Benefits Group’s proposal, which estimated savings in the amount of $439,255 for the city.
“The issue was that there was a difference in the proposal iOne gave in that they are what’s referred to in the industry as a ‘self-insured’ program,” Brock explained.
He said iOne’s particular program coordinates and works with Delta Regional Medical Center and the advantages provided in that partnership include city employees being able to go to any of DRMC’s clinics or physicians and have services rendered without paying a deductible.
“The other two didn’t have anything like that,” Brock said. “The benefits were just tremendous with iOne.”
He noted iOne is also used by DRMC employees.
Brock said he felt the a council passed up an excellent opportunity to pick up a new healthcare provider for the employees at considerable savings to the city and employees, as well as better healthcare and the chance to support the local hospitals and medical establishments.
