Milwaukee County let its health insurance contract with UnitedHealthcare lapse for about a month; county executive attributes it to an employee error

Milwaukee County supervisors learned on January 29, 2026 that the county's health benefits administration contract with UnitedHealthcare and Optum Rx, covering 5,168 current employees and retirees, had expired at the end of 2025. County Executive David Crowley said the lapse was an error by a Human Resources employee, and a spokesperson confirmed benefits director Tony Maze was no longer with the county (WISN reports he was fired the weekend before February 2).