The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners will hear recommendations regarding its employee health insurance plans Thursday, including an update on coverage for popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs.
The board will meet at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Cumberland County courthouse.
CityView reported last month that the county’s health insurance brokerage, USI Insurance Services, noted a sharp uptick in employee pharmacy claims for GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy. The drugs work by providing glucagon-like peptide-1, which imitates glucagon peptide-1, a natural hormone produced by the body to signal fullness to the brain.
According to slides prepared by USI employees, GLP-1 medications represented 20% of the county’s pharmacy claims for the first six months of the 2023-24 coverage cycle, at a cost of $790,290. During the entire 2022-23 coverage cycle, GLP-1 medications represented 11% of claims, or $853,505 in expenditures, the presentation states.
The brokerage will recommend the county remove coverage of GLP-1 medications from its employee pharmacy and only offer coverage through retail pharmacies like Walgreens or CVS, according to the presentation.
The board will also consider whether to add additional health insurance plan choices for employees, including a “PPO Buy-up” option where employees would pay “the entire premium difference” with an estimated cost neutral impact for the county, the presentation states.
County staff recommend commissioners vote to place the changes on the board’s March 18 meeting consent agenda, according to a March 4 memorandum from Assistant County Manager and Interim Finance Director Brian Haney.
Parking deck progress
The board will also consider selecting a design-build team for the new parking garage at the county courthouse, according to a March 5 memorandum from Director of Engineering and Infrastructure Jermaine Walker.
After seven firms submitted proposals late last year, county staff are recommending Samet/Creech to handle the design and build, the memorandum states.
The six-floor, 1,100-stall parking garage is projected to cost $33 million and be completed by fall 2025, according to the memorandum.
According to the request for qualifications posted by the county, the parking garage will also include 30 electric vehicle charging stations. The garage will be placed at the rear entrance of the Cumberland County Courthouse and the Cumberland County Law Enforcement Center.
Should commissioners vote to place approval of the firm on their March 18 consent agenda, county staff will enter contract negotiations to bring back a proposed contract to the board, according to the memorandum.
Housing grant
The county’s community development department received a $2.2 million grant from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency’s Supportive Housing American Rescue Plan program, according to the meeting’s agenda.
The county will provide a 40% match, county documents state. The money will fund the Phoenix Place Transitional Housing Program, which will provide 10 three-bedroom single-family homes for homeless families, and a 2,000-square-foot expansion of the Supportive Services building.
Reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at lsolomon@cityviewnc.com or 910-423-6500.
This story made possible by contributions to CityView News Fund, a 501c3 charitable organization committed to an informed democracy.
