County insurance rates to remain level (11/08/05)

Health insurance rates for county employees won’t be going up in 2006.

Repeat: Rates won’t be going up.

But some of the co-payments and out-of-pocket expense limits for employees will be.

“In all these years I’ve never had this happen,” Jay County auditor Freda Corwin said after learning health insurance costs would not be soaring as has been the custom for the past several years.

As Jay County Commissioners near the end of the county’s first year with Apex Benefits Group, representative John Gause told commissioners Monday that a reduction in claims for the past nine months has led in large part to rates staying the same. He said claims were about four percent below budgeted figures.

Gause said that an increase in employee co-payments when treated by a specialist also helped keep rates at the current level.

Co-pay for specialist treatments will increase to $45 from the current $30 per visit and family plan members will now have a maximum of $7,500 in out-of-pocket expenses compared to the current level of $5,000.

While some expenses will increase for employees, those enrolled in the vision and dental plans, which are offered separately, may see as much as a 50 percent reduction in premiums.

Because the county will switch providers from Group Link to Comp Benefits, those enrolled in the plan will see significant cost reductions, Corwin said. The county does not pay for those coverages but the plans are offered to employees who wish to enroll in them.

The county currently pays $414.58 per employee per month toward health insurance with the employees paying $1. For those enrolled in the family plan, the county pays $631.24 while the employee pays $450.

Commissioners entered into another one-year contract with the Apex group.

Commissioners also opened five bids Monday afternoon from four companies for the purchase of a new dump truck for the county highway department.

A difference of $10,000 separated the low bidder and the high bidder, and commissioners said the difference in bid prices hinged on the type of engine.

The low bid came from Selking International of Muncie which offered two bids: one for $65,152 for a Cummins engine and the other for $73,997.32 for an International engine. Other bids were from Wabash Sales, Indianapolis, for $74,250; General Truck Sales, Muncie, for $75,754.67, and from Kinstle Truck of Wapakoneta, Ohio, for $65,854.

Action on the bids was tabled until highway department superintendent, Ken Wellman, and commissioners’ attorney, Brad Burkett, study the bids.

Commissioners Milo Miller, Gary Theurer, and Faron Parr also asked Wellman to get an estimate on costs to repair and pave county road 200 West from Ind. 26 north to county road 300 North.

Bob Quadrozzi, executive director of Jay County Development Corporation, told commissioners that JCDC is seeking a grant to do a feasibility study of the fire department building in Dunkirk.

Quadrozzi said that study would help JCDC seek a $500,000 grant for a building to house the fire department, police department, and Jay Emergency Medical Services headquarters in Dunkirk.

Commissioners also gave courthouse custodian, Roger McBride, permission to proceed with plans to repair portions of the courthouse exterior.

Atlas Building Services Inc., Wabash, will do the tuck pointing at a cost $14,097, and will seal the exterior for $9,966.[[In-content Ad]]