Milwaukee County healthcare contract expires leaving thousands in limbo

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- An expired healthcare contract is putting thousands of Milwaukee County employee's health insurance benefits in limbo.

“So, this is serious and I'm very concerned," said Jennifer Folliard, the Milwaukee County Director of Audits at Thursdays Committee on Finance meeting. "I haven’t seen anything."

Shock, confusion and concerns from officials at the Milwaukee County Committee on Finance meeting Thursday, after learning the county's current contract with UnitedHealthcare expired.

“How does this even happen?" said Steve Taylor, Milwaukee County Supervisor for the 17th District. "I mean this is 2025, this is crazy."

The healthcare contracts expiration, including their pharmacy benefits, came as a big surprise for Milwaukee County Officials who say they weren't informed of this until Thursday.

"Where does this rank in all of our contracts?" asked Taylor. "This is probably one of the largest, most important contracts. It provides benefits to our employees," responded the Milwaukee County Comptroller's Office.

Milwaukee County's healthcare plan supports more than 3,000 employees and now they are left in limbo.

"How do you ever get to the point where a contract expires and secondly how could you not follow the process and it appears that has been done, that it was not followed, but we don’t know," said Taylor.

Taylor, who serves as the Vice Chair on the Committee on Finance says the lack of transparency surrounding the contract deals expiration is unacceptable

"I want to know who's to blame here," said Taylor. "We should not be put in a position to make a decision we don’t have all the information, that’s how you get into scandalville."

Taylor says now the County Board Supervisors are being rushed to make a decision on a proposed five-year healthcare contract.

"This five-year contract that we are going into is roughly a billion dollars," said Taylor. "It's healthcare for our employees using taxpayer dollars."

It’s a contract Taylor says raises a lot of red flags and the Milwaukee County Office of Comptroller says does not meet current standards.

"The amendments or the changes the outside of standardization that are in the 2009 contract, they are probably the worst I've ever seen," said Folliard.

The Committee on Finance will have a special meeting on Monday. Their recommendation will then go to the County Board of Supervisors to vote on the proposed contract.