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Hendersonville committee approves joining state employee health plans
Summary
The Hendersonville Finance Committee voted to let the city enter Tennessee's state-run health plans, aiming to expand coverage options and stabilize premiums for city employees; open enrollment would begin in October.
The Hendersonville Finance Committee voted Aug. 26 to authorize the city to enter a contract with the State of Tennessee to allow city employees to enroll in medical plans offered to political subdivisions through the state.
Committee members and city staff said the change is intended to give employees more plan options and reduce volatility in premiums. "We're not looking at a trade off between coverage and cost. We're looking at sort of a win win on both of those," Mayor Jamie Cleary said during committee discussion.
Why it matters: Committee members and staff said joining the state pool could stabilize future premium increases by placing Hendersonville in a larger negotiating group. City officials said many plan options show lower monthly premiums than the city's current single-carrier arrangement, and most employees should see a reduction in monthly premiums under the state plans.
Details from the meeting: Jason Gallo, administrative services director, and Jesse Ekenoff, chief operating officer, told the committee the city's commitment would be a two-year participation agreement with an open enrollment cadence set by the state. "This is a 2 year plan as well," Ekenoff said, and staff noted the city can only join when the state opens enrollment. Officials said the state's open-enrollment outreach typically begins in the fall; committee members were told education sessions for employees would take place in September and the state's open enrollment runs in October.
City staff also said coverage differences will include trade-offs among monthly premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs across plan options; staff said the state representatives will provide benefits education and answer questions about formularies and drug coverage during enrollment sessions.
Committee action: A motion to recommend that the city enter the state medical plan contract was moved and seconded; the committee voted in favor. The committee did not record a roll-call vote in the transcript; the stated outcome was approval.
What comes next: Staff said, if approved by the full council where required, the city will schedule employee education sessions with state representatives ahead of the October open-enrollment period.
Officials who spoke on this item included Mayor Jamie Cleary; Jesse Ekenoff, chief operating officer; Jason Gallo, administrative services director; and finance director Pamela Ingersoll.
