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County staff present health plan comparison; supervisors plan educational open-enrollment sessions
Summary
Staff presented a comparison of the county's current health plan and a potential high-deductible health plan with an HSA match; supervisors agreed to host employee educational sessions and requested clarifications on fertility coverage and other details before open enrollment.
Kossuth County staff presented an educational comparison of the county’s existing health insurance plan and a potential high-deductible health plan (HDHP) as part of preparations for open enrollment.
Why it matters: changes to the county’s health benefits affect employee premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket exposure. The county also discussed potential employer contributions to a health savings account (HSA) under the HDHP model.
Plan comparison presented by staff: the materials compared a “traditional” plan with a $1,000 single/$2,000 family deductible (aggregate) against a sample embedded HDHP with a $3,300 single/$6,600 family deductible (aggregate). Key points included: - Traditional plan: in-network deductible $1,000 single/$2,000 family; out-of-pocket maximums and coinsurance parameters were shown in the staff’s example. - HDHP example: higher deductible ($3,300/$6,600), with the county proposing to match employee HSA contributions up to $60 per month; the HDHP example would show no employer premium for the sample scenario in the presentation. - Pharmacy benefits and emergency-room cost treatment were compared in the materials staff planned to use as an educational example.
Board direction and logistics: supervisors agreed the materials should be clearly labeled as examples and educational (not final plan choices). Michelle (benefits contact), Donna and Tammy were identified as staff working on the presentation. Supervisors asked that the handout and slide labeling clearly indicate “example” or “educational purposes only.” They also recommended supervisors attend sessions to emphasize that examples are not final decisions.
Outstanding questions: the board requested a definite answer from the benefits administrator (Michelle) on infertility/assisted-reproduction coverage limits under each plan option before open enrollment materials are finalized. Staff agreed to obtain that clarification.
Scheduling: staff proposed multiple employee sessions, including a 7 a.m. slot and mid-morning sessions; supervisors indicated at least one supervisor should attend each session and that materials be available both on screen and as a handout for employees to download.
Next steps: staff will finalize the example materials, mark them as educational, confirm the infertility coverage question with Michelle and schedule the open-enrollment education sessions. Supervisors encouraged broad employee outreach and asked staff to make clear which items are examples.
