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Woodbury County ends dental, vision and Medicare-supplement payments for retirees 65 and older
Summary
The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors approved ending county-paid dental, vision and partial Medicare-supplement benefits for former employees age 65 and older, effective at the end of 2025; HR will notify affected retirees and offer COBRA for dental and vision.
The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to discontinue county-paid dental, vision and partial Medicare-supplement benefits for former employees and their families once the retiree or family member is 65 or older, with the change effective at the end of 2025.
County Human Resources Director Melissa Thomas told the board the proposal is part of efforts “to fight the rising cost of health care” and described the change as ending current benefits for former employees over the age of 65. Thomas said affected benefits include dental, vision and a partial payment toward a Medicare supplement. She said Human Resources will send letters immediately to notify retirees and that COBRA will be offered for dental and vision coverage so people can remain enrolled temporarily while they arrange replacement coverage.
The board’s motion — described on the record as approval “to discontinue benefit coverage for retirees and families 65 and older” — passed by a 5-0 vote. The motion was moved by Supervisor Vintzer and seconded by Supervisor Ahn.
Why it matters: County officials said the change will reduce pressure on the county’s self-funded medical fund. Thomas said roughly 50 people on the county plan are over age 65 for the dental coverage line. Board members discussed an estimated savings that includes about $7,800 per year from ending the county supplement payment and roughly $75,000 from ending the broader dental and vision benefits, describing total annual savings “closer to 82,000–83,000” as an approximation presented during the meeting.
Board members noted that the county is not required to offer the benefits and that the self-funded dental plan draws from the same medical fund, creating budgetary pressure. Thomas clarified that retirees currently under age 65 who remain on the county plan will continue to receive benefits until they reach 65; at that point they would be disqualified for the county retiree health coverage under the approved change.
What the county will do next: Human Resources will send out notification letters to affected former employees and will offer COBRA for dental and vision coverage. The board discussion indicated the county will need to track the estimated savings in its budget planning but did not specify any separate implementation timeline beyond the stated end-of-year 2025 effective window.
The action was administrative; no statute, ordinance or outside agency approval was cited during the discussion.
The board approved the measure 5-0.
