Self-funded city employee health plan
At a glance
- What: Proposal to move the city's employee health plan to self-funded insurance, with the board carrying claims risk up to a ceiling and reinsurance above it.
- Numbers: maximum (ceiling) funding total fell to about $28.6 million from $30.1 million at the earlier meeting; expected claims were about $23 million, which excluded administrative costs. The figure to be voted on is the ceiling, not the expected cost.
- Details: the final numbers count only city employees on the plan. A voluntary Samaritan Fund program (changed title and two modest agreement changes) aims to bring high-claim members' costs down. Staff said the program is excluded from bidding as a risk management practice under state law. Pharmacy benefit management and specialty drug cost controls are the main savings levers.
- Oversight: the consultant offered quarterly board updates; a director asked for monthly written reports plus quarterly appearances after the first quarter or two. Claims take 60-90 days to show up, so little data will exist at first.
- Next: vote at an upcoming board meeting; none taken on October 13.
Sources
- 2026-10-13 - Board of Directors (reconvened agenda meeting) (auto-captions; names and numbers may be misheard)
- 2026-10-13 - Board of Directors (reconvened agenda meeting)
- https://littlerock.gov/wp-content/uploads/meeting-agenda/AGENDA%20-%20WEB%20-%2010-13-2026%20-%20Reconvened%20Meeting/Agenda-October-13-2026-Reconvened-Meeting.htm
Discussion time
About 10 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-13 - Board of Directors (reconvened agenda meeting) | 10 |
Log
- 2026-10-13 - Board of Directors (reconvened agenda meeting) - Questions from directors on the self-funded move, the ceiling, the Samaritan Fund and reporting; no vote at this agenda meeting.