WEST POINT — The Clay County Board of Supervisors renewed the county’s Group Health Policy on Thursday, offsetting a rise in premiums by doubling the employee deductible.
All county employees, which range in total from about 84 to 90 covered workers at a given time, have two health insurance policies: one from Blue Cross Blue Shield and an additional gap policy.
The premiums for Blue Cross Blue Shield will increase 25 percent, Galloway-Chandler-McKinney Insurance Agent Kyle Chandler said, while the gap policy premiums will decrease by 15 percent. Premiums for each employee are covered 100 percent by the county, but if an individual chooses the family plan they are responsible for those additional premiums.
“What’s driving these Blue Cross rates is the loss ratio from last year, which was 135 percent,” Chandler said.
The board considered tabling the renewal decision until its next meeting on Monday, but decided to approve the renewal and increase each employee’s deductible from $500 to $1,000 to mitigate the rate hike by roughly $23,000.
If the board had elected to keep the $500 deductible, the yearly increase in premiums would cost the county $155,232. By raising the deductible to $1,000, the county’s premium increase will total $131,514.
Chandler said open enrollment for employees begins in June.
Also at Thursday’s meeting, Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott said COVID-19 related restrictions would begin to be loosened for inmates who are part of the joint state county work program. An exact return to work date wasn’t specified.
Some projects inmates work on involve cleaning up abandoned or neglected cemeteries and public roads of the county.
“They want to know what our game plan is and how we’ll keep them safe going out from jail and then coming back into jail,” Scott said. “… They’re ready to go to work.”
Scott said once the green light is given for inmates to return to work, some precautions will include taking an inmate’s temperature twice a day, once at the beginning and end of the work detail. The supervisor of the work detail will also have his or her temperature checked. Furthermore, workers will have to change clothes immediately upon arriving back to prison upon completion of their work.
“With this stuff being on surfaces, we just don’t want to take any chances,” Scott said.
Goggles and gloves will have to be worn at certain stations, while wearing masks will be encouraged. Hand sanitizer will also be available, and workers will not be allowed to interact with the public.
“A lot of it is just common sense with social distancing,” Scott said.
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
