— Rick Burres/Tribune-Courier//Increases in the county's healthcare plan has led to a reduction in benefits for employees and an increase in cost for the county. Marshall County Commissioner Jerry English (above) voices his concern over the court being able to provide adequate coverage for employees.

County employee insurance spikes by nearly 20 percent

Both county and
employees will
share the increase


By Misti Strader
Tribune-Courier News Editor
mstrader@tribunecourier.com

BENTON – Healthcare prices have been skyrocketing nationwide, and in last week’s Marshall County Fiscal Court meeting, the court heard just how those increases are hitting home.

Will Reed with Peel and Holland presented the 2009 county healthcare package as formulated by the state to commissioners and county Judge-Executive Mike Miller.

“This has been a really rough year,” Reed said. “There has been a 12.8 percent medical inflation increase across the board,” he noted, but after factoring in a reduction of benefits, Reed said the increase is actually closer to 20 percent.

Reed informed the court that the standard plan purchased for county employees last year had been removed from the list of available options and replaced with two other plans – one a lower-cost plan with reduced benefits and the other a higher-cost plan with more comparable benefits.

Reed said it was not unreasonable to assume the cost of being able to offer employees the same level of benefits as last year could total upwards of $175,000, and that is something the court said they simply cannot afford to do.

“It’s to the point with these increases that we have to say, ‘what can we afford?’” Miller said.

Reed added, “Basically, employees are paying more and getting less coverage. Everyone is sharing in the pain here.”

The county currently pays 75 percent of employee health care plans for families and 100 percent for single policy holders, a benefit which costs taxpayers more than $1.3 million per year.

Commissioner Jerry English said, “as far as I am concerned, these employees deserve the same plan as last year, but we have to keep this in perspective.” The court voted to approve the most affordable plan and will absorb the increase. Employees who opt to participate in higher-cost plans will be responsible for the difference.

Another change in the healthcare package involves open enrollment. “Everyone must enroll to have coverage this year, regardless of whether or not changes are being made,” Reed said.

In past years, participants were not required to fill out paperwork if changes were not being made. However, from this point forward, everyone must re-enroll annually.

Peel and Holland will be hosting open enrollment informational meetings on Oct. 9 at the following locations: 7-8 a.m. - county road department; 8:30-10:30 a.m.- county courthouse; 11:30 a.m. -1 p.m.- judicial building; 1-2 p.m.- sheriff’s department; 3-4 p.m. and 5:30-6:30 p.m.- courthouse (upstairs).

Open enrollment is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 13 and Tuesday, Oct. 14 upstairs at the courthouse.