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Travis County employees urge court to reconsider proposed health plan changes and address pay compression
Summary
At an employee hearing June 24, Travis County staff and retirees urged the Commissioners Court to limit premium and deductible increases, prioritize compression fixes and consider alternatives to the proposed plan changes that would take effect Oct. 1; HR will return July 14 on benefits and July 28 on compensation.
Travis County employees and retirees packed a June 24 employee hearing to tell the Commissioners Court that a proposed 8% increase in medical premiums and related plan changes would impose real financial strain on frontline and long‑tenured workers.
"Every year my child's medical needs ... put our total out of pocket cost at above $24,000 a year," said Katie Hallberg, a Natural Resources employee, as she described the effect of a family PPO premium of $771 per month, $2,500 family deductible and a $12,000 family out‑of‑pocket maximum. Dozens of speakers followed with similar accounts, describing medication price hikes, higher copays and the difficulty of covering household expenses while serving the county.
Union leaders and employees pressed the court to prioritize pay compression fixes, preserve professional development and consider alternatives to a single across‑the‑board plan change. "A budget is a moral document," Nathan Fernandez, a Health & Human Services employee and AFSCME member, told the court, urging the county to explore other insurers and premium‑balancing options.
HR presented two actuarial options: adopt plan design changes with an estimated 8% premium increase or make no plan changes and accept a roughly 12.3% premium increase. Shannon Steele, benefits manager, noted the court will consider benefits July 14, and HR hopes to return with compensation recommendations by July 28. Open enrollment is scheduled for Aug. 16–31 and changes would be effective Oct. 1.
Judge Andy Brown thanked speakers and said the court will take comments seriously. No formal vote occurred; staff were directed to return with recommendations to the court on the stated schedule.
