Commissioners approve health insurance change

Oct. 18--Muskogee County employees will see changes to their health insurance benefits beginning Jan. 1, a move commissioners made with hopes of saving taxpayers some money and reducing premiums for workers.

Commissioners approved the switch this week after spending about six months slogging through numbers and soliciting feedback from other county officers and their employees. District 2 Commissioner Stephen Wright voted against the move, expressing concern about the adverse impact of new prescription benefits on employees with diabetes.

"The county will save money," Wright said. "But we have a select few that are on meds that will go from $10 to $70 ..., and I think we will just be throwing them under the bus."

District 1 Commissioner Ken Doke said those costs will be offset by savings realized by reduced premiums and types of out-of-pocket costs applicable to annual caps. That argument fell short of convincing Wright, but the measure passed with the support of District 3 Commissioner Kenny Payne.

Doke said county employees have been insured for 16 years through a partially self-funded Oklahoma Public Employees Health and Welfare plan. Recent premium increases and concerns about figures included in the plan's recent financial statements prompted commissioners' consideration of a change.

"We have been trying to eat those costs at the county level as much as we could, but last year we had to pass some of that to the employees," Doke said. "We promised them we would do our dead-level best to try and find a solution to this problem."

Commissioners solicited proposals and listened to presentations before selecting a local broker who offered three options for health care through Community Care and Insure Oklahoma. The OPEH&W plan offered a single option for coverage through Blue Cross & Blue Shield Insurance.

Doke said while the new plan promises significant savings now, early projections of $250,000 were possible. There was some indication during presentation of proposals that there is a chance annual premiums could increase at a faster rate.

Payne, however, said changes in the future will not require a buyout like the one required by the present plan. An OPEH&W representative told commissioners that could be as much as $200,000, but Payne said he would be surprised if it was more than one-fourth that amount.

"I don't like the idea that we are going to be held hostage by a company that is providing a service, and that is exactly where we find ourselves now," Payne said. "If we decide we have to go with somebody else next year, I will feel good about the fact we won't have to pay $50,000 going out the door."

Reach D.E. Smoot at (918) 684-2901, @dsmootMPhx or dsmoot@muskogeephoenix.com.

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