By Raychael Moseley / Managing Editor

Marshall Municipal Utilities is reviewing alternative health insurance plans after receiving a proposed 38.9% increase in employee medical coverage costs from BlueCross BlueShield of Kansas City.

People, Risk and Outreach Director Megan Baldridge updated the Board of Public Works on the insurance renewal during the bimonthly BPW meeting on Oct. 28.

Baldridge said MMU contacted five insurance carriers in search of more affordable coverage. Four carriers had responded as of the meeting, with three declining to provide quotes.

“Just Monday afternoon, we got a proposal from United Healthcare that is competitive,” Baldridge said.

The proposal from UnitedHealthcare could offer MMU a less expensive alternative to its current insurance provider.

Baldridge said the proposed increase for a comparable health savings account-eligible plan is around 15% compared to 38.9% from the previous provider.

“It’s a very comparitive, pretty equal-looking HSA-eligible plan, which is our base medical plan,” Baldridge said.

However, Baldridge emphasized that MMU is still reviewing the details of the proposal before making a recommendation.

MMU has also shared the UnitedHealthcare plan with Blue KC, allowing their underwriters to reconsider their original proposal.

No final decision regarding the medical insurance provider was announced during the meeting.