Retired county judge reminds commissioners of 1990 minute order

Dec. 23--For the past 26 years, retired employees of Anderson County paid nothing for their health insurance benefits.

Retired County Judge Carey McKinney last week asked the Anderson County Commissioners Court to honor the retiree benefits package that was in place at the time of their retirements.

The commissioners court made a minute order Nov. 28, 1990, that stayed in effect through 2016.

"It has been honored until this year," he said.

The county changed its health insurance for next year from self-funded to fully funded, and there are two options to the plan.

The base plan is $25, and the better plan costs $75 a month.

"At that point, I reminded you of the minute order," McKinney said.

The premium fees for retirees were at 100 percent paid by the county.

"The county always took care of retirees at 100 percent," he said.

This is not the first time McKinney has raised an objection to the commissioners court.

Back in 2014, when the county decided to charge $50 a month for health insurance, McKinney reminded it of the 1990 minute order.

He pointed out that for the past three years, retirees did not have to pay the $50 monthly fee for health insurance benefits.

The retired county judge knows of one retired employee who has been paying the $50 a month for the past three years, when she should not have been.

But now they have choices.

Some retirees make between $1,100 to $1,700 a month, and those taking the base plan would have to pay 50 percent of prescription costs. This is not something they had to worry about in the past.

"Some are fortunate, because they have a job, so it does not (impact us as much)," he said. He added that others do not have this luxury.

Under the new plan, every retiree and employee will be under the same plan, McKinney said.

"You are trying to bring everyone under the same umbrella," he said.

Commissioner Greg Chapin told McKinney the county could no longer afford to be in the insurance business, partly because there is no competition.

The county was $750,000 short on the health insurance claims it had to pay for the few years when it was self-funded, Chapin said.

The new plan, which takes effect Jan. 1, is the best at what the county can afford, and everyone can take the buy-up option by paying $50 more a month, he said.

While the plan may not be the best one out there, this is an affordable one, Chapin said.

County Judge Robert Johnston knew the self-funded plan had to be changed.

"We knew we were going backwards and were going to have a lesser plan," Johnston said. "Expenses had gone through the roof. It got to the point that we couldn't allow taxpayers to keep funding this."

It would have cost the county $190,000 for the county to keep everyone on the buy-up plan, which is money it does not have.

The 1990 minute order, according to what a 1990 commissioner told Johnston and McKinney, was intended to ensure that when employees were fully funded for health insurance, retirees would get the same option.

The 1990 minute order needs to be updated, Johnston said.

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