Dane County committee pauses vote on proposed Dean Health Plan changes after hours of employee testimony

The Dane County Personnel & Finance Committee on Sept. 8 postponed consideration of Resolution 2025 Res 146 — an addendum to the county's contract with Dean Health Plan Inc. that would change employee plan design — after more than two hours of public comment from county employees, union leaders and service-line staff urging the committee to reject or delay the changes.

The committee voted to postpone the resolution until Monday, Sept. 15, at 5:30 p.m. so the county executive and staff can provide additional information and the Insurance Advisory Committee (IAC) can complete its review. The committee heard public testimony from nurses, social workers, 9-1-1 dispatchers, AFSCME representatives and other county employees who said the proposed plan would shift millions in costs to workers.

Why it matters: The draft addendum is intended to produce roughly $5.6 million to $6.0 million in near-term savings for the county budget, but speakers told the committee the changes would expose employees and retirees to far larger out‑of‑pocket risk and would worsen recruitment and retention across county services. Committee members said they needed more detail about the remaining budget…