Commissioners hope insurance switch will save money

McCOOK, Neb. — Details of coverage may not change immediately, but Red Willow County Commissioners voted unanimously to change brokers providing health insurance to county employees.

While the county may not actually switch from a partially self-insured system to a fully insured system, commissioners expressed a desire to make that transition easier as one of the reasons for awarding the contract to Svoboda Benefit Solutions of Aurora and Omaha.

Other bidders included the locally-represented Olson Group, which has handled the county’s health insurance for a dozen years, the cooperative Nebraska Association of County Officials and Cornerstone Insurance, also of McCook.

A major issue was the inclusion of a rider to assure coverage for late claims in case the county does decide to switch from partial self-insurance to fully covered.

Chairman Ted Gans assured several county employees present that commissioners had no intention to reduce benefits for them, but needed flexibility in selecting providers.

County employees expressed support for the current provider, saying they had always received good service from the representatives.

Other issues expressed last week included concerns that employees might be forced to purchase drugs by mail rather than from local pharmacies.

Last week, commissioners switched property and casualty insurance from a local provider to a statewide cooperative of local governments.

In other business, the board heard an annual report from Josh Mullen, director of the county’s noxious week control program, decided to seek more bids for new carpeting on the east side of the second floor of the courthouse, and approved a tax exemption for a van for the Southwest Area Training Services.

Correspondence included a letter from an insurance company regarding a claim for a broken windshield and an informal bid from Applied Connective for IT services for the Law Enforcement Center.