County hears plan for near-site Deaconess clinic and reviews 2026 benefits proposals; no action taken

Human Resources Generalist Markie Rhodes introduced representatives of Deaconess Clinic at Work, Kenley Lintzenich and Lauren Michel, who described a planned near-site clinic in Jasper with a hopeful opening date of Dec. 1, 2025. The clinic would operate 40 hours per week, include an on-call nurse and telehealth options, and make Deaconess locations available to employees. The fixed county cost would be $42.11 per employee per month; employee visits and dispensed drugs would incur no out-of-pocket cost to employees per the presentation.

Rhodes and Max Bawel of Houchens Insurance Group presented recommended changes for the county wellness program and two options for insurance-premium and deductible adjustments for 2026. Recommendations included updated screening windows, revised BMI and cholesterol screening standards (BMI 18.5–29.9; cholesterol standard <210), removal of Purdue Extension site for monthly checks, and requiring spouses on the plan to participate in screenings to earn discounts. Proposed premium and deductible increases were presented as two options; no final action was taken and the matter will return to the board on Aug. 4, 2025.

RX Protect program data from Feb–Apr 2025 was presented showing plan costs of $97,996.41 and a net savings opportunity of $36,039.57 if employees had participated; meeting discussion encouraged employee participation in cost-saving programs. The county will change its Specific Insurance carrier from HINES to Unified Care Connect with the effective date to be determined.