Commission hears third-quarter financial update and discusses employee health plan changes

Susan Walker, Bourbon County’s chief financial officer, presented a third-quarter financial recap and the county’s employee benefits and open-enrollment plan during the Oct. 20 commission meeting.

Walker said the county left the State Employee Health Plan and will use Employee Navigator for enrollment. She told commissioners that open enrollment would begin the following Monday and run through Nov. 8; county staff must quickly transmit selections to Blue Cross Blue Shield so first payroll deductions can start in December. Walker said the change preserved core health, dental and vision coverage for employees but increased the cost of several voluntary add-on products. "For family plan A, it’s $521.16 a month more," Walker reported when summarizing a sample comparison for employees expressing concern; voluntary products (vision, accident, hospital) were described as a roughly $101.43-per-month increase for some coverage combinations in the transcript discussion.

Walker and commissioners discussed budget pressures: public works and EMS funds are tight and FEMA reimbursements are expected to help some accounts (landfill and public works). Walker said EMS reimbursements through Omni have been lower than expected but she is monitoring those returns; if reimbursements fall short the county may need to use journal funds. Commissioners noted that moving off the state plan gives future commissioners greater ability to obtain claims data and negotiate plan design.

Why it matters: Changes to plan administration and voluntary-product pricing affect employee costs and retention and have follow-on effects on county budgeting. Commissioners said they will monitor participation and the broker’s performance.

What’s next: Open enrollment will run through Nov. 8; county staff will finalize premiums and cost-share details and report back at a future meeting.