Insurance cost hike draws ire of Clark County workers

May 03--JEFFERSONVILLE -- Clark County employees with varying situations showed up Wednesday night to address county commissioners regarding a change to their insurance plan.

The commissioners recently adopted a health insurance plan that differed from that of previous years in that the county is contributing a flat rate to insurance premiums instead of a set percentage. The flat rate has increased the share employees are paying as a whole by 15 percent: from 300,000 of a $4.1 million plan last year to almost $1.1 million of a $4.8 million plan this year.

That translates into insurance premium increases for employees beginning in August, ranging from $75 to $303 a month.

Nearly a dozen employees spoke against the plan Wednesday. Some were single parents, others were older and childless and some supporting a spouse and children. Nearly all received a round of applause from the audience after their comments.

Andrew Steele, a deputy prosecuting attorney, said between the lack of raises and short staffing after 2011 layoffs, it's the love of the job that keeps him in the prosecutor's office -- and he's not alone.

"We have continued since [2011] to pick up the slack. We do this job because we love this place," Steele said. "This is my home and it's my county. It insults me that you all don't have a spending problem, you have a revenue problem and you have not paid us. This insurance is the tip of the iceberg."

Another employee cried as she explained her family plan is going up $300 a month.

"This is not fair. I understand you have a budget, but you cannot expect to throw a $303 increase on a family a month all at one time. If you want us to pay more and you pay less why can you not do it more gradually?" she asked.

County Auditor Monty Snelling also spoke, saying he tried to "open the lines of communication" on the topic but did not receive responses from the commissioners.

This is not a funding problem. The county has the money to pay the insurance," he said. "It's high ... and I know what the commissioners are trying to do -- they are trying to save taxpayers dollars and hold the cost down. But you don't put the burden on the back of the very people that operate the government for you ..."

After the public comments, presentations were given by Sandy Halstead, the the county's AssuredPartners insurance broker, and officials from Alternative Health Solutions, which runs a free clinic for employees.

According to Halstead, the commissioners did not receive multiple quotes for the plan because it was not put on the market. She said Humana offered $200,000 in savings for the commissioners to not market it, and later explained changing providers often can reflect poorly on the company.

"Since the increase itself was minimal and we had marketed so recently, it was around a 4 percent savings to accept the offer from Humana and the 1.5 percent increase," she said.

Halstead also said "the rising health care cost is not unique to Clark County government. This is an industry problem ... there are lots of employers around you that are experiencing the same problems the county has and they've been forced into much less attractive options than the county has to offer."

At one point commissioner Bryan Glover interjected to help explain Halstead's presentation and urged the audience to look closer at their health care. It's possible, he asserted, that they are currently overpaying and a high deductible plan would be more cost effective than the low deductible.

"I've learned more about insurance in the past three months than I ever care to," he said. Glover also pointed to incentives, such as getting a health screen, which would earn users a monthly credit and could offset the raise.

The free clinic is one way the commissioners keep claims, and therefore, rates, down but the audience was quick to point out the clinic does not help those who need to see specialists and that it is not technically free -- it costs the county $22,000 each month to operate.

Michael Dees, CEO of Alternative Health Solutions, explained that the nurse practitioner at the clinic in reality is helping employees with chronic care conditions and that in itself is saving the commissioners $80,000 over the next year. He also noted a large percentage of employees do use the clinic.

Commissioner Jack Coffman concluded by encouraging those in attendance to reach out to the human resources director, clinic and AssuredPartners (the firm Halstead works for) for help and guidance in picking the best plan for them.

"... look and see what options you have to move to a different plan to see if that will benefit you in anyway," he said.

Erin Walden is the education reporter at the News and Tribune. Contact her via email at erin.walden@newsandtribune.com or by phone at 812-206-2152. Follow her on Twitter: @ErinWithAnEr.

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