Currently the county has a health insurance plan with a $5,000 deductible. The county pays the first 4,000 of the deductible for each of the employees. There are currently 15 employees on the plan.
The commission approved continuing the current health insurance Monday to qualify for the early submission discount, which amounts to approximately $9,000 for the year. The county showed a 108 percent loss ratio for the past year.
Danny Young, agent with Young Insurance in Bernie, said the loss ratio was a factor in the premium increase. He noted that those with a loss ratio of less than 85 percent received rebates last year.
"We do not have much choice for 2013," Commissioner Frank Sifford stated. "No other company even wants to look at us."
Sifford went on to say there was a lot of uncertainty about health care insurance, and there were many possibilities depending on the outcome of the election. He went on to say that the next commission should look at going to a health savings plan.
"I think this is the way to go," said Sifford. "I think this is going to be the future."
Young stated, "None of the changes are going to make it any cheaper."
Sifford said making the change to a health savings plan would be a "bookkeeping nightmare."
Presiding Commis-sioner Greg Mathis asked Commissioner Carol Jarrell what she wanted to do about county health care insurance.
Jarrell asked for a clarification of the options. Young said option one would increase the doctor's office co-pay from $25 to $30 and increase prescription co-pays from a tier of $10, $35 and $60 to a tier of $15, $45, and $75. It would set the maximum out-of-pocket at $5,000. He said the second option would raise the co-pays by the same amount as option one, but would raise the maximum out-of-pocket expense to $10,000.
"I'm going to leave the decision to you (Mathis) and Frank (Sifford)," said Jarrell.
Several county elected officials were present, including Collector/Treasurer Carla Moore, Sheriff Carl Hefner, Assessor Jody Lemmon, Recorder Kay Asbell, Public Administrator Pam
Lape and Prosecuting Attorney Russ Oliver.
Mathis asked the elected officials for input.
Asbell questioned whether the deductibles would stay the same. Moore said she appreciated the coverage provided by the county.
Lemmon said the insurance was one of the attractions in finding employees. He said the pay didn't necessarily draw employees, but the benefits helped.
"Good strides were made by this commission," commented Lemmon.
"I've already made up my mind," said Mathis.
"Today we are deciding on insurance options only," Mathis told those present. "We will decide the deductible question later. I am open to changes in the deductible or whether the county pays all the premium or the employees pay part of it."
"I'm ready to vote," said Mathis.
Sifford made the motion to continue the current health insurance policy. It was seconded by Jarrell, and passed by a 3-0 vote.
In other business, Oliver told the commission that his office had $15,000 in a tax fund expenditure account, but the budget was for $3,000. He said his office had expended $3,200 with the recent purchase of portable shelving in the basement
of the Government Building. He said he wanted to make the commission aware of it so they could amend the budget as required by auditors.
Mathis said the commission was aware of the situation and had put it into the minutes when they decided the bookshelf purchase should come from this fund. Sifford said the budget would be amended in December when the other budget amendments were considered.
County Clerk Joe Watson reported that Elk Township had posted the bridges in their area which the Missouri Department of Transportation had noted were missing in an inspection. Mathis asked if all the bridge postings had been completed, and Watson responded, "They are all done."
A complete set of blueprints were presented to the commission for the electrical work to be done at the County Jail. Mathis said the commission would look them over and approve them at a later meeting. At that point bids will be taken on the project.
Source: http://www.dailystatesman.com/story/1908929.html
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