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Commissioner reports insurance fund director search, HRA savings example and county staff urged to explore benefits change
Summary
A commissioner reported on a pooled insurance fund meeting, the search for its executive director and a health-reimbursement-arrangement (HRA) analysis that saved Island Transit $600,000 and previously showed a potential $2 million saving for Thurston County benefits; commissioners asked staff to evaluate the option given budget pressures.
At the Aug. 12 Thurston County commissioners meeting, a commissioner reported on a recent insurance fund meeting and urged staff to reexamine a prior health-reimbursement-arrangement (HRA) analysis that consultants said could save the county money on employee benefits.
The commissioner described the insurance fund as a limited pooled entity that includes some non-county governmental organizations and said the meeting included an executive-session topic the speaker could not discuss publicly. The fund is conducting a national search for a new executive director after the prior director departed amid legal and accounting issues, the commissioner said.
An HRA presentation at the insurance-fund meeting was highlighted as noteworthy. The presenter said an HRA program had produced $600,000 in savings for Island Transit, and that a prior workup for Thurston County “was going to save you guys, like, $2,000,000,” the commissioner said. The commissioner said that earlier work had not moved forward because of other priorities but suggested county staff revisit the analysis given current budget constraints.
County staff and commissioners agreed the HRA analysis and related materials could be useful. The commissioner asked staff to check whether the earlier work could be updated and to consider pursuing HRA changes if the numbers remain favorable. No formal direction to adopt HRA changes or a motion to alter employee benefits was taken at the meeting; the request was for staff follow-up and evaluation.
The commissioner also reported that some insurance rates are increasing overall, and that the insurance fund’s directors are seeking input on the qualifications they want in a new executive director.
Commissioners suggested a staged approach to any operational changes so staff workload is manageable; the clerk and county managers would coordinate on next steps and check capacity to implement any new benefits approach or reporting requirements.
