Spencer County Fiscal Court voted on Nov. 3 to change employee benefit cost-sharing for single health insurance plans and to reconfigure vendor arrangements for ancillary coverage.

The court debated several options after a committee review showed rising premium costs. Members discussed alternatives including cutting the Pepco (FEDCO) card, shifting to a state plan, or increasing employee contributions for single plans. After extended remarks about benefits balance and fiscal pressure, one member moved to leave the Pepco card unchanged and reduce county contributions for single plans to 90%. The motion was seconded and later amended to specify bundling dental and vision with UnitedHealthcare and moving life insurance to 1America.

Members discussed estimated fiscal effects: staff cited an annual county cost increase for premiums and noted that cutting single-plan contributions to 90% would add approximately $106 per single employee per month (figures in the discussion varied by plan choice). The court confirmed the amendment and approved the motion by voice vote; the change is to take effect Jan. 1 to align with open enrollment.

Court members directed staff to finalize open-enrollment materials, provide employee notifications and to continue exploring options such as an FSA (flexible-spending account) or adjusting Pepco-card funding in future cycles.

The court's action aims to spread rising insurance costs between the county and employees while maintaining the Pepco benefit for non-insured employees and preserving core coverage for the workforce.