 Christopher Hoosier told the board during Thursday's board-of-whole
meeting, "Things have changed and our concerns have grown, in that
I've become aware that there were no requests for proposals for
health insurance."
He noted that the insurance committee did use the process of RFPs
in consideration for the property, liability and workers'
compensation insurance this year.
He asked that the board exercise the 30-day termination clause
with Health Alliance that is part of the agreement and send out for
proposals.
"I think it is an obligation on the county board, not only to
these employees but to the taxpayers of this county, to look for the
most affordable insurance policy out there," he said.
He asked that there be uniform information provided for the
bidding process.
And finally he asked that during this process, the employee
insurance contribution rate return to what it was previously, which
was $0.
"I understand during the 30 days the county is bound to the
increased health insurance rates," he said. "We would submit that
the county board should absorb those rates."
He said the support for that request was that they believed due
diligence was not performed.
In one of the biggest annual costs for the county, the board
voted last month to stay with Health Alliance and to continue to
offer county employees the POS-C plan. High claims from the year
prior and medical situations that would continue to contribute to
high claims for some employees resulted in a 12 percent increase in
the basic plan.
The county decided to split the $46 increase, with the employee
portion going from $0 to $23 a month, or $276 a year.
The county's portion has gone from $391 to $415 a month per
employee, or $4,980 a year per employee under the new insurance
contract that started on May 1, 2011.
Employees who prefer another plan still have the option to pay
the difference in cost from the $415 a month that the county
provides.
Most county employees have been on the basic plan, but many of
those who are on other plans have seen exorbitant cost increases
that have made it not affordable to stay with the plan they prefer.
[to top of second column] |
Chair Jan Schumacher said that when the county's insurance
committee met this month, they went into executive session to
discuss issues related to labor unions.
On another matter she said that two bids were returned for
property, liability and workers' compensation insurance, and she'd
have that ready to decide next month.
She was enthused to share that there is a new prescription drug
discount program that Logan County is eligible to participate in
through the National Association of Counties. She is looking into
this. She said that local pharmacies are contracted in the program.
The program is most beneficial to those who have no health
insurance or are underinsured, Schumacher said.
A prescription discount card would become available at pharmacies
and other locations to any resident.
Interestingly, it would include medicine for pets when the meds
are the same as those used for humans. For example, she said it
would not include flea and tick meds but would include something
like thyroid medication.
[By
JAN YOUNGQUIST]
Past related article
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