Health insurance costs rile county employees

Employees of Whitman County government pleaded for increased benefits Monday morning as commissioners discussed health insurance plans for the coming year.

“There’s been a paucity of investment in employees,” Deputy Prosecutor Byron Bedirian told commissioners. “We’re invested in this county. We like working here; we like working with each other; we like working with you, and we like working with the public.”

The current package of salary and benefits given county employees, said Kris Thompson, clerk for district court, means many have to work second or third jobs. Thompson added the current pay package makes the county less desirable for job-seekers.

“You cannot hire people at the crap wages we have,” she said. “Twenty-two years later, I don’t get raises, my insurance is in the toilet.”

Commissioners said they sympathized with employees, but said sagging revenues make it hard to increase the county’s insurance contribution.

“The bottom line is we have declining revenues and increasing prices,” said Commissioner Greg Partch. “The whole key has to be sustainability.”

Employees currently receive $695 a month from the county to choose from insurance options. One of the proposals for next year would eliminate the option to have a plan with no deductible for out-of-pocket payments from employees to providers.

All three commissioners noted the difficulty of how best to attempt to address the increased health insurance costs for employees. The county this year is contributing $1,334,400 to employee insurance plans.

“Gas goes up, rent goes up and medical inflation is out stripping the CPI,” said Commissioner Michael Largent.

“Sometimes wages go up. And they haven’t,” responded Elections Supervisor Debbie Hooper.

Hooper said a plan that required a deductible would be a burden for employees who, like herself, have health problems.

Susan Nelson in the human resources department said 95 of the county’s 160 insured employees are in the plan with no deductible. Thirty-one are on the $750 deductible plan and 34 are on the $3,500 deductible plan. Nine employees have waived their medical benefits.

“Clearly there’s a large number of us that want the zero deductible,” said Hooper.

Kelli Campbell, human resources director, said those employees could pay deductibles with savings from their lower monthly premiums.

Other employees noted the pay raises given to elected officials by the independent citizen salary commission. Earlier this year, the salary commission raised the pay of elected officials to the full average of comparable counties. Phil Herman with the county road department said he and his colleagues are paid at 69 percent of a comparable average. Bedirian said many others are at 72 percent.

“I believe there’s people in here, in this room, that are being paid at 100 percent of average,” Herman told commissioners. “If you’re not going to pay us, and you’re never going to give us a raise, the least you could do is cover our medical insurance.”

Commissioners, though, noted the expense of increasing medical benefits for the 169 eligible employees.

“It’s one of our most costly things we pay for, so it’s not the least we can do,” said Partch.

Steve Bruchman, head of the local Teamsters Union which represents three county employee unions, said the Teamsters plan, one under consideration by the county, would cost $950 per month. If the county covered that increase over the current $695, he said, the county would pay an additional $528,000 a year for insurance.

The county insures employees through the Cigna company. Last year, the county left its long-time insurer the Washington Counties Insurance Pool, for Cigna’s lower rates. They are now considering an insurance carrier for next year.

Many Monday said Cigna’s plans are more expensive for employees with families than those without. Prosecutor Denis Tracy and Sheriff Brett Myers said a more family-friendly carrier would help the county attract and keep quality employees.

“I want employees that have families and a commitment to this community,” said Sheriff Myers. “Those are the employees I actually seek out to find.”

In the end, commissioners delayed a decision on next year’s insurance plans. Partch called for meetings to hear from employees how the health care decisions will impact their lives.

“This is their benefit money being spent on their behalf for them,” said Largent.