Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Employee Benefits topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kossuth supervisors plan employee outreach as county considers high-deductible option
Summary
After staff outlined technical questions about carryover, FSAs and HSA limits, supervisors asked staff to collect department questions, set multiple informational sessions and consider recorded and one-on-one options for employees—especially shift workers—before any mid-year benefit shift.
Kossuth County supervisors returned from a lunch break to prioritize employee outreach and technical clarifications after staff outlined a proposal that could add a high-deductible option and change the county’s self-insurance structure.
Board members stressed the need to compile frequently asked questions from department heads and schedule multiple information sessions (morning and afternoon) so spouses and shift workers can attend. Supervisor 7 said that if informational meetings are scheduled outside regular hours, "we may have to, you know, compensate that employee for attending the meeting," and the board discussed recording sessions and offering one-on-one appointments with the county’s benefits consultant so workers could get private answers about FSA, HSA and deductible carryover implications.
Staff and supervisors identified several technical items that must be resolved before any plan change becomes effective: whether fourth-quarter deductible carryover would apply under a high-deductible plan, how mid-year HSA contribution limits would be calculated if a new plan starts July 1, and how employees’ current flexible-spending account balances could or could not be used after a shift to an HSA-eligible plan. Supervisors asked staff to contact Michelle (the county’s benefits consultant/broker) to secure availability and authoritative answers and to return reports and sample communications that can be used in employee meetings.
No formal policy was adopted. The board directed staff to collect questions, schedule outreach sessions in March–May timeframes for open enrollment and to circulate answers to employees ahead of any enrollment deadlines.
