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 gap and alternatives before making a final decision.

Public comment and concerns

Dozens of speakers — many of them frontline county employees — urged supervisors to oppose changes described in the draft addendum. Derek Wallace, president of AFSCME Local 720, told the committee the proposal “tears up the county's stated values of honoring the voice of the county's workforce,” saying the plan would “shift $6,000,000 of the county's cost directly onto its employees.”

Alex Dudek, president of AFSCME Local 895 and a public‑health nurse, said the proposed design would create “thousands of dollars of new out‑of‑pocket costs for every county employee” and warned that higher upfront costs would lead to delayed care and higher downstream health costs. “Money that is saved by transferring costs onto employees is temporary,” Dudek said.

Other registered speakers described clinical or family situations that would be made harder under the proposed changes. Hannah Thomas, a 9‑1‑1 dispatcher, said doubling and quadrupling deductibles and out‑of‑pocket maximums would create “barriers to care,” adding, “If my ER co‑pay triples, I might end up dead one of these times.” Javier Gutierrez and several speakers recounted personal medical crises and said increased co‑payments and deductibles would be financially devastating.

Marissa Burke, who identified herself as chair of the IAC during her remarks, described an accelerated timeline and said the county and Dean had been developing plan options in a matter of weeks. Burke told supervisors the IAC requested additional data that arrived “one day before the next meeting,” and she said employee groups asked for more time to survey members and consider alternatives.

Many speakers suggested short‑term alternatives, including voluntary furloughs, temporary reduced workweeks or other internal savings, to avoid immediate benefit changes. Several union leaders and worker representatives said employees are willing to explore time‑based cost‑saving options if given time and meaningful involvement.

Committee action and next steps

After public comment and a long supervisor discussion that ranged from budget timing to the feasibility of furloughs, Chair Vice Chair Glaser moved to postpone action on Resolution 2025 Res 146. Supervisor Yang seconded the motion and the committee voted in favor of postponement. The committee set a follow‑up meeting for Monday, Sept. 15, at 5:30 p.m., to allow further information from the county executive's office, the IAC and department heads.

Routine business

Earlier in the meeting the committee approved two sets of minutes (Aug. 25 and Sept. 4), two fund transfers, and grouped consent items and action items (Items 1–5 and Items E1–E6). Those routine approvals were moved by supervisors Brower and Erickson and carried without recorded roll‑call tallies in the transcript.

What remains unclear

Committee members repeatedly asked county administration for additional details: how the remaining budget gap (committee members cited a roughly $31 million structural deficit) would be closed if the health‑plan changes were implemented; whether furloughs or other internal savings could cover part of the gap; and how any changes would be implemented in time for employee open enrollment. The committee asked the executive staff to return with clearer scenarios by the Sept. 15 meeting.

The committee's postponement leaves the county's current plan design in place for the immediate period. The IAC and county staff are expected to continue fact‑gathering and to report back at the Sept. 15 meeting.