Spotsylvania weighing retiree healthcare plan change
The issue has come up at
Three well-known retired county employees spoke at this week's supervisors meeting. Four other retirees and one employee also spoke at the meeting. All of them spoke against the proposed change.
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"I don't like it," said
"Many of the people behind me have worked hard," she said in front of the crowd of about 150 people, many of them county retirees and employees. "They deserve what they were told they'd get."
Former
The proposed health insurance change would impact only retirees who reach age 65, when they become eligible for Medicare.
Under the proposal, the county would not pay for those retirees' supplemental insurance plan, but instead would give them
The issue gained steam earlier this year as the supervisors were dealing with the potential of having to set aside
The current insurance plan was instituted in 1988,
"The liability is huge," Mary told the supervisors at the June meeting.
Supervisors began setting aside funding for the insurance costs in 2015. The board voted to include
"We believe for the large majority ... this will be an improvement," said Deskins, who told the supervisors at the
At the
Supervisors have said they also understand that stance against the change, while also bringing up other concerns.
Lee Hill Supervisor
"I think we're taking a risk," he said at this week's meeting.
He also thinks the county should honor what it promised to employees who expected to have health coverage in retirement. The other supervisors seemed to concur with Skinner on that point.
The supervisors all wanted to look at giving retirees and employees a choice, such as grandfathering them so they could keep the current plan if they want to.
Deskins raised one issue with giving retirees a choice. He said that if the retirees don't lose the plan involuntarily, they would have to face questions about pre-existing medical issues from insurance companies.
If the county allowed all current employees and retirees to keep the plan, the county would still be on the hook for nearly all of the
If only current retirees are grandfathered, the annual cost would drop by an estimated
Sorrell said the proposed plan would result in "substantial savings" for the county. But she also is concerned about whether future boards would honor it.
The county is looking to make a decision on the proposal by October.
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