LUB sees no increase in health insurance costs this year

LaFollette Utilities Board will not see an increase in its health insurance plan at all this year, announced General Manager Kenny Baird during the utility's monthly board meeting on Monday.

"I was told to plan on a 20% to 25% increase in health insurance, which I did," Baird said. "It's in the budget. Well, they came up and said they had some good news for us, that they had Blue Cross Blue Shield with the same exact plan, network S, had originally come back with a 4.74% increase. …He said, 'The market's flat right now with health insurance, and you're either going to get that down or we're going to take it to market,' which they weren't really going to do because we don't really want to change from Blue Cross Blue Shield. Well, they came back with a 0% increase."

Baird said he wasn't sure why the original estimate had been so high, but he believed it might be because the company didn't have many "catastrophic claims" this past year.

At Baird's recommendation, the board voted to renew LUB's health insurance plan.

Board members also voted to purchase a skid steer with a mulcher and trailer for $197,119. According to Baird, the skid steer should be delivered within 90 days.