NATCHEZ — The Adams County Board of Supervisors will meet with insurance agent Randy Hazlip today to hear a proposal about continuing the county’s self-funded insurance plan.

Hazlip, the county’s current agent, was the only agent to submit a proposal to the supervisors, County Administrator Joe Murray said.

During the past few meetings, District 4 Supervisor Ricky Gray and District 3 Supervisor Angela Hutchins have expressed interest in hearing from other agents before entering into another contract with Hazlip for Blue Cross Blue Shield payment services.

Tru Services Vice President of Sales Jules Lacoste, the county’s reinsurance agent, met with supervisors Monday to answer any questions about the current plan and what switching could potentially mean.

If the supervisors were to switch insurers, Gray said he was concerned about a potential gap in claims that might leave supervisors responsible if a claim came in from a provider after March 31.

“I’m not saying we are looking for nobody else,” Gray said. “But we do need to understand if we do decide to go somewhere else, we could be stuck paying — or the employee could be stuck paying. Someone has to pay.”

Lacoste said the supervisors had a one-year plan with Blue Cross Blue Shield through local agent Randy Hazlip running from April 1, 2016, to March 31.

Lacoste said the county pays up to a deductible of $50,000 per employee. If an employee’s claims from a doctor’s visit were to be submitted on April 1 or later but the visit occurred before then, and the supervisors switched plans, Lacoste said a potential gap could exist if the visit’s cost exceeded $50,000.

Lacoste said if supervisors were to switch away from the self-insured Blue Cross plan, a temporary contract for three months could be negotiated, to cover any gap coverage claims.

Lacoste said Adams County’s claims are being paid within three business days.

Board of Supervisors President Mike Lazarus said he is happy with the self-insured plan and would like to give the plan another year to see how savings with practices the county has put in place pan out. One potential saving includes the county’s hiring of a nurse practitioner, who began seeing county employees and dependents approximately a month ago.

Board Attorney Scott Slover said supervisors were not legally required to seek bids for insurance if happy with continuing the current plan.

Previously, Murray had said the county projected to come in $200,000 under budget for insurance costs compared to last year’s $2 million total in health care costs. Murray cautioned that three months in claims were remaining and the numbers could change.

After February’s claims were finalized recently, Lazarus said Monday the county is now projecting to come in $250,000 under budget.