Milwaukee County health insurance contract lapses, employee fired

Milwaukee County health insurance contract lapses

A Milwaukee County Human Resources employee is now out of a job after leaders say an error caused the county's health insurance contract to lapse at the end of 2025.

MILWAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. - A Milwaukee County Human Resources employee is now out of a job after leaders say an error caused the county's health insurance contract to lapse at the end of 2025.

So now what are the next steps to make sure employees stay covered?

Health insurance lapse

What we know:

"What is currently happening is you are amending a contract that did expire at the end of last year," said Milwaukee County Comptroller Liz Sumner.

That was the bombshell presented to Milwaukee County's Finance Committee last Thursday.

Milwaukee County Finance Committee

The county's health insurance contract with UnitedHealthcare lapsed in 2025.

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It provides coverage to thousands of the county's employees, retirees, and family members.

Contract extension proposed

What we know:

During last Thursday's meeting, Human Resources Director Tony Maze presented a five-year contract extension to the committee.

But the comptroller's office immediately stepped in — raising red flags.

"This is serious, and I'm very concerned," said audit director Jennifer Folliard.

The comptroller said she'd only known about the contract for a week, noting it's an extension of the same one they'd been using since 2009.

UnitedHealthcare

The office also said they can't verify financial details in the contract because the bidding process and development was done through a third party.

"I think we have to consider some emergency action," said Milwaukee County 1st District Supervisor Anne O'Connor.

The committee pushed the discussion to Monday, Feb. 2. That's when Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley sent out a statement saying "mistakes were made."

Employee no longer works for the county

What we know:

He said as a result, an employee with the Department of Human Resources "no longer works for the county."

Statement from Milwaukee County Supervisor David Crowley

"I would like to reiterate that our employees do have health care right now," said Policy Director Jeremy Lucas.

On Monday, the Finance and Personnel Committee held a joint special meeting to determine the best way to move forward.

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Corporation counsel urged the committee to approve the contract.

Supervisors were worried that without approving it, all doctors could be out of network for employees, creating a significant financial burden for the county.

The $450 million contract ultimately passed through the finance committee. It's set to go before the board on Thursday, Feb. 5.