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Panel hears bill to let long‑serving county constitutional officers keep health insurance until 65
Summary
A committee hearing on HB 868 considered a narrow proposal letting constitutional officers with at least 16 years in office and aged 55–65 continue county health coverage until Medicare, funded by a successor's lower base salary so counties would not increase their budgets, proponents say. ACCG opposed the bill as not revenue neutral and risky for county plans.
Chairman Lumsden introduced House Bill 868 and supporters, including Kevin Payne, Floyd County tax commissioner, described it as a narrowly targeted, revenue‑neutral option for certain long‑serving constitutional officers to keep county health insurance until they reach Medicare eligibility.
"It's very limited in scope and very difficult to apply for," Kevin Payne said as he explained the bill's eligibility requirements: at least 16 years of service and an age between 55 and 65. Payne described the financing mechanism: the county would allocate the difference between the retiring officer's final salary and the successor's base salary toward the retiree's insurance, which, he said, keeps the county budget unchanged. "The budget cannot increase by $1 under this bill," Payne said.
Proponents told the committee that in many counties only one or two officers would ever qualify. Cindy Cannon, White County tax commissioner, provided local figures, saying her county's annual per‑employee premium was $11,111.32 and that the county pays 75 percent (she cited $8,333.49) of that cost; she said the bill would be "revenue positive" in her case. Dean Hicks (Stevens County tax commissioner) and Stacy Harrelson (clerk of superior court, Harris County) gave similar, county‑level examples.
The Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) opposed the bill. Todd Edwards (ACCG) said counties already may choose to provide retiree health benefits locally and warned the measure "sets extremely bad precedent." Ben Pitarelli, ACCG's health program director, questioned the revenue‑neutral claim, saying the formula may hold in year one but not in subsequent years as salaries and premiums change: "It does appear to be revenue neutral in the first year. What happens in year 2 when the newly sworn in individual's rate goes up?" he asked.
Mike Mitchell, deputy director at the Georgia Sheriffs Association, said the association supports the bill while noting only a small number of sheriffs would qualify under the proposal. Committee members asked whether the bill would cover family plans and pressed sponsors on how the statutory language would limit future cost increases; sponsors pointed to specific bill language (lines 26–30) they said prevents budget growth.
The committee took testimony and left HB 868 "hearing only," meaning no committee vote was recorded and the chairman retains discretion to take it up later. The hearing record contains multiple county‑level cost examples and a clear split between supporters framing the bill as a narrowly tailored, budget‑neutral retirement option and ACCG and banking/finance witnesses expressing concern that ongoing costs or insurance market changes could change the fiscal picture.
Next steps: HB 868 was designated hearing only, with no formal committee vote at this meeting.
