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Clackamas County employees testify about sudden Kaiser premium increase; county points to intranet reimbursement notice
Summary
At the Feb. 6 Clackamas County Board of Commissioners meeting, county employees testified that a Kaiser Permanente monthly premium rose from $88.46 to $303.20, and county administration told employees an intranet posting describes premium reimbursement as part of negotiations.
At the Feb. 6 Clackamas County Board of Commissioners business meeting, county employees urged the board to reverse a sudden increase in Kaiser health-insurance premiums that they say was taken from paychecks without advance notice.
Natalie Lutmer, a county employee from Happy Valley, told the board the Kaiser monthly premium went "from $88.46 to $303.20 — an increase of $214.75" and asked officials to "please stop taking this money out of my paycheck." Michelle Schimpke, who identified herself as an employee in the county behavioral health department, described the increase as "debilitating" and said it has forced employees to use more paid leave and has put them at financial risk. Christine Kennedy, a Lake Oswego resident and retired registered nurse, also spoke during public testimony about broader community-health concerns.
The county administrator said the board has authorized a reimbursement option and that details are posted on an employee-only intranet page. "On the county's intranet page ... under employee and labor relations, lists all the county economic packages proposals offered to the employees association represented employees is listed. And the first bullet says insurance premium reimbursements for employees on Kaiser insurance who are incurring extra premium costs," County Administrator Gary Schmidt told the board.
Why it matters: employees said the change has immediate household impact and has damaged trust in county leadership. Commissioners expressed sympathy but said bargaining limits their public comments while negotiations continue.
Commissioner Ben West said, "I'm totally empathetic to the cost of insurance premiums." Commissioner Fireside told speaker Natalie Lutmer, "I see you and I hear you and I thank you." Commissioner Savas summarized a key concern as "trust and communicate." Commissioner Martha Schrader told employees, "I am fully confident and I trust that this will be resolved soon."
What was clarified on the record: Schmidt identified the intranet posting and told employees to review it and discuss particulars with their union leadership. Commissioner West and others pointed meeting attendees to prior public meetings where the insurance topic was discussed, identifying Oct. 23, Nov. 13 and Dec. 17 as dates when staff presented aspects of the issue to the board.
No formal board action was taken during the public-comment period; employees were encouraged to consult the intranet notice and their bargaining representatives. The board members repeatedly framed much of the detail as part of active collective-bargaining discussions and said they are legally limited in what they can say while negotiations proceed.
Looking ahead: employees who testified urged tangible corrective steps; administrators and commissioners said they will continue to work through bargaining channels and pointed employees to the posted intranet information.
