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Cowlitz County HR authorized to file online application to switch employee health plan to Regence
Summary
Jessica Warren of Cowlitz County human resources asked the board for permission to submit an online application to move the county’s health insurance from WCIF to Regence; the board gave verbal approval and Warren said the finalized agreement will be placed on the consent agenda and that MOUs with bargaining groups will follow.
Jessica Warren, human resources, told the board the county is in the final stages of its health insurance renewal and needs the board's permission to submit an online application to switch the county plan from WCIF to Regence. Warren said she would place the finalized application on the consent agenda after submission.
Warren said the proposed change would keep the county in the "same network, blue to blue" and would result in lower premiums compared with the WCIF renewal. "It's roughly a 2% decrease from WCIF versus what WCIF would have been was, like, a 14% increase," she said, describing the county's estimate. Warren also said the county will move to tiered rates for most groups and that memoranda of understanding with bargaining groups would be on the board's agenda in the next week or two.
When asked whether she had presented numbers to the board, Warren said the details were discussed in executive sessions. She described the application as time-sensitive and asked for permission to complete the online enrollment so implementation can proceed.
Board members in the transcript signaled informal approval with comments such as "Okay. Yeah. I'm good with that." No formal roll-call vote was recorded in the meeting transcript. Warren said she would bring the finalized paperwork to the consent agenda and that the MOUs needed for implementation would follow.
Next steps: HR will submit the online application to Regence, place the finalized paperwork on the consent agenda, and present MOUs with bargaining units for board consideration.
