Employee Benefits Broker Services

The Vendor is required to provide the services of a broker of record to consult with the county in the management of health care benefits.
- The broker will assist the County in the following areas:
•    Negotiating and securing medical plans, prescription plans, vision plans, dental plans, stop loss plans, flexible spending account(s) and any other plans as needed for the county.
•    Furthering the county’s efforts to reduce the total cost of health care and all costs associated with the health insurance program.
•    Defining specific factors and trends driving health care costs and reporting such information in a reasonable and timely manner.
•    Analyzing health plan cost trends in relation to peer groups and national benchmarks.
•    Investigating, evaluating, and recommending innovative programs and improvements to enhance county’s health care insurance offerings for employees and retirees.
•    Providing advisement in a unionized environment regarding the best course of action to implement incremental changes that support employees, dependents, and overall program costs.
•    Reviewing demographic and clinical information of the covered population and providing predictive analysis.
•    Providing monthly status reports of expenses compared to budget, including reports demonstrating the breakdown and review of health plan expenditures.
•    Conducting large-claims analysis, including predictability of future costs, claim-lag studies, and regular utilization reporting.
•    Preparing all reports mandated by federal and state laws, as applicable.
•    Coordinating and participating in open enrollment sessions.
•    Preparing and editing the yearly county benefits book.
•    Coordinating and participating in employee and dependent education on effective health insurance utilization.
•    Administering and coordinating wellness initiatives supporting the county executive’s healthy county program, including preparation of monthly wellness newsletters.
•    Monitoring the regulatory environment and providing timely notification to ulster county regarding compliance requirements, as well as notifying employees and retirees when necessary.
•    Educating county personnel regarding any changes, required implementations, or available options related to health insurance topics.
•    Administering the retiree HRA.
•    Retiree billing for health insurance premiums.
•    Administering monthly billing for cobra enrollees, including high-volume processing during layoffs.
•    Administering the flexible spending accounts program.
•    Coordinating with coverage providers such as agency to implement best practices for administering drug programs and sharing data as requested.
•    Reconciling monthly health insurance billings and enrollments for all employees and retirees, including individual employee contributions and the county contribution by department/division, and providing subsequent documentation.
•    Provide all support necessary for the administration of county’s self-funded medical and
•    Prescription programs and fully insured products.
•    Provide a mechanism to update the county, its employees and retirees on any health insurance changes including benefit changes, authorization requirement changes, and changes in laws and regulations.
•    Advise the county on compliance issues related to the regulatory environment, identify any associated financial impacts, and educate employees and retirees on required changes and actions.
•    Assist the county in ensuring that all insurance carriers have policies in place to demonstrate the least fiscal impact to the county.
•    Assist and advise the county, as necessary, for a medical review by an independent auditor of all claims paid to determine that such policies, as stated previously, are in the best interest of the county.

- Contract Period/Term: 1 year
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: January 06, 2026