BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A representative of Anthem Blue Cross has told the Stoddard County Commission that their rates for the current group health insurance would increase 5.68 percent for 2015. The commission meeting in regular session Monday took no action on renewing the health insurance for county officials and employees.
Laura Schnurbusch, account manager for Anthem, said health care reform was responsible for 4.48 percent of the increase, so the actual increase was 2.2 percent. She said the ratio for claims compared to the amount paid by the county was "running better than expected."
"The Blue Cross Select plan has had a positive impact on the the bottom line," commented Schnurbusch.
The commission opted to go with the Blue Cross Select plan last year, which is a narrower network than the traditional Blue Cross network. The county paid 100 percent for the Select plan, but employees and officials could "buy up" to the broader network if they chose to do so. The insured paid approximately $45 per month for the expanded plan.
SoutheastHEALTH in Cape Girardeau and all their facilities including the one in Dexter were included in the Blue Select plan. All physicians and doctors affiliated with SoutheastHEALTH were also on the plan. Most of the hospitals in St. Louis were part of the narrow network. Notable exceptions that were not on the plan included St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau and Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.
Last year the county had 38 officials and employees on the Select plan and 17 on the broader network plan. In 2014, the health insurance plan cost the county $325,112.16 for the 38 insured in the Select plan and $150,860.04 for the broader network plan. Under the estimates provided by Schnurbusch, the county would pay $343,576.84 for the Select plan and $156,393.48 for the broader network plan.
Schnurbusch said the actual premium paid for employees in the Select plan would go from $649.15 to $733.57 per month. The increase for the broader network would be from $739.57 to $781.51. The employee pays the difference between the two plans.
Schnurbusch also went over the deductible, which would also have a slight increase due to health care reform. She said the maximum out of pocket to an employee last year was $6,350 compared to $6,600 this year. The plan has a $5,000 deductible, but co-pays or cost percentages on services such as primary and specialist physician visits, emergency services and pharmaceuticals stay in effect until the cap is reached.
Commissioner Danny Talkington asked what was the difference between having co-pays or having an 80/20 percent ratio for claims up to the deductible maximum. Schnurbusch said it really didn't matter because either way the maximum out of pocket expense would be $6,600 under the new policy.
Schnurbusch said the plan as presented was a fully funded health insurance plan. She said Anthem does offer a partially self-funded plan, but she did not as yet "have the numbers" on the cost of that plan.
Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis asked when those numbers would be available because the county was looking at self-funded plans.
Schburbusch said she thought the county would be a good candidate for a partially self-funded plan because they had no really large claims in the past year. She said those numbers would be available in the next two to three days.
Mathis asked if she and Danny Young, the owner of Young Insurance in Bernie, the agent for the county's insurance, would be able to present those numbers at the next commission meeting on Nov. 10.
Schnurbusch said she would get the numbers to Young this week. She said she may have another commitment next Monday, but Young would be able to meet with the commission, and she would be present if she was able.
The commission was told that an easement was obtained so that efforts to replace a bridge on County Road 307 could continue.
The bridge had been programmed with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) at an estimated cost of $225,000. Smith and Company have begun engineering on the bridge, but an easement issue stopped progress on the bridge and threatened to end the project.
Smith and Company notified the commission that an easement had been received and the project will now go to the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) for approval. After MoDOT approval is received, the commission can advertise for bids.
It would be the third bridge in 2014 to be replaced.