Logan County renews health insurance with Blue Cross Blue Shield

 

[February 27, 2019] 

At the Logan County Board meeting Tuesday, February 19, one focus of discussion was non-union employee insurance renewal. The board took action in choosing what companies it would work with in the coming year beginning on the annual start date May 1st. Further details of employee choices will be worked out in the upcoming months.

Members present were Board Chairman Emily Davenport, Vice chairman Scott Schaffenacker, Kevin Bateman, Dave Blankenship, Bob Farmer, David Hepler, Chuck Ruben, Bob Sanders and Annette Welch. Janet Estill and Steve Jenness were absent.

Insurance and Legislative Committee Chairman Annette Welch made a motion to approve BlueCross/BlueShield renewal on Health, Dental and Life Insurance.

Nathan Whiteman spoke to the board about some of the changes and cost savings for the county’s non-union employee benefit plans.

The county has been paying $500 a month per each employee that takes insurance, and Whiteman said that amount will probably not change.

Around 100 non-union employees have some kind of insurance through the plans offered through the county.

Whiteman said BlueCross/BlueShield offered “a reasonable renewal” on healthcare with a 1.8 percent increase. When Whiteman let the BlueCross/BlueShield know he would be seeking alternative options for the year the company quickly came back with a counter offer.

Claims were good this year, and Whiteman said BlueCross/BlueShield realized they needed to be more aggressive on their pricing.

After more discussion, BlueCross/BlueShield offered a zero percent increase on the medical insurance costs.

Additionally, if the county would take dental and life insurance, switching from METLIFE, BlueCross/BlueShield would also give an additional two percent off the healthcare insurance renewal.

Whiteman said at this point, the savings would be $1,300 a month. BlueCross/BlueShield has a $3,000 maximum per year for dental work. The deductibles will be lowered from $50 to $25 for individuals and $150 to $75 for families, so Whiteman said they were aggressive in both pricing and plan design.

The plans are cheaper too, though Whiteman is still working on the exact figures. He said the lower plan used by those needing it for spouses and children will retain the $1,000 maximum and will cost $40 a month less. The higher plan has a minimal change in the premium.

Whiteman said BlueCross/BlueShield has offered a more competitive rate for the voluntary life insurance.

Vision coverage is not included in the plan, but Whiteman is looking into VSP and I-Med Direct for coverage options.

Ruben thanked Whiteman and the committee for a good job working on the renewal.

The motion was unanimously approved.

Motion to discontinue Colonial at the end of the term and to accept Aflac for the County’s supplemental insurance were also unanimously approved.

Whiteman said Colonial provided a great offer a few years ago, but he found there was some misrepresentation. One retiree was told she could keep the insurance after retirement but then found out otherwise, so Whiteman is looking into options. He said the county probably has more employees taking these policies after retirement than most employers do.

Whiteman said he has also been contacted with concerns about claims and some “hurdles thrown into the process.” Ease of use is important to Whiteman.

Because of these issues, Whiteman said he is more comfortable working with Aflac and the county already has an Aflac account established. Aflac is offering employees a $30,000 guarantee issue cancer policy and heart attack/stroke policy, which means employees can participate with no health questions asked even if they have had a pre-existing problem.

In addition, Aflac integrates well with employee navigator, the new enrollment platform, which means when employees get online to select vision and dental and life, they an select their supplemental plans.

The board will make additional decisions on how much the county will cover of an individual health insurance premium, then employees can choose what policy coverage best meets their needs.

County vehicle policy

Besides the insurance motions, the County Vehicle Policy was approved 8-1 with Hepler abstaining.

This is a new policy that all the titles to county vehicles will now be filed at the courthouse. Previously titles were filed at the Public Safety Complex and other county buildings. Having all the documents in one place will make it easier when looking for the titles.

[Angela Reiners]