The Boyle County Fiscal Court has approved a change in health insurance providers that will cost approximately $71,200 more annually.

The fiscal court approved changing its insurance provider from UMR to ARC Services, which uses the Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield networks. The county asked for bids to provide health insurance and received five proposals from insurance companies, including their current provider.

Had the fiscal court decided to keep the county’s current provider, UMR, cost still would have gone up by $60,155, about $11,000 less than the increase with ARC.

This year, the fiscal court is paying $257,439.36 in fixed costs for health insurance through UMR, according to a comparison chart provided by the court. ARC services will cost $328,640 in fixed costs; renewing with UMR would have cost $317,595 in fixed costs, according to the chart.

The other three options available ranged from $311,801 to $357,748 in fixed costs, according to the chart.

Magistrates narrowed their choices down to two providers other than UMR — North America Administrators, which had the low bid of $311,801, and ARC, which was the second-most expensive bidder. Magistrates said one reason for choosing ARC is that it is a Kentucky-based company and works with Anthem, which offers the best coverage for employees. 

“Anthem is so much more valuable for our employees and that is a big plus for us,” Magistrate Patty Burke said. 

Magistrate Jack Hendricks said he has been using Anthem as his insurance provider for years and he has never had any problems with them. 

Hendricks said he thinks what ARC has to offer “might be worth the little extra cost.”