City employees in St. Robert now have a new health insurance plan and carrier following a unanimous vote by the St. Robert Board of Aldermen at its meeting Monday evening. The decision follows nearly a month of discussion about the city’s health insurance plan, and whether the city should continue with its current provider or change to a new one. The matter originally appeared before the board during its Dec. 15, 2008, meeting. At that time, the aldermen decided to wait on making a health insurance decision until all available options had been explored. The board did, however, vote to approve vision, dental and life insurance plans. The dental plan showed a 9-1/2 percent increase in costs when compared to the previous year, and the vision plan is paid for by city employees. The life and disability insurance provider, Ft. Dearborn Life, currently has a two year rate guarantee with the city, so there was no need to change coverage for the insurance this year. Life and disability insurance is voluntary and in addition to city paid life insurance. At that time, the current health insurance carrier, Mercy Health Plans, had announced a 9-1/2 percent increase. At a Finance Committee meeting Dec. 30, 2008, the matter was discussed further and the committee agreed on a recommendation to give the aldermen at its then up coming meeting. Shawn Nass, a representative for Barker Phillips Jackson, an in insurance and financial services provider, addressed the Finance Committee. She told them that Mercy Health Plans had come back with a lower rate than they had originally provided, one that was even lower than the current prices on the plan. “I’ve never seen a carrier come back and they were under what their current rates were,” she said at the meeting. But even with the drop, Nass said that Mercy Health Plans still ended up being 4 to 5 percent higher than the alternative plan under consideration — Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. At the Board of Aldermen meeting Monday, Nass again addressed the issue, saying Barker Phillips Jackson had done its best to duplicate the services offered under the Mercy plan. “To the best of my knowledge, no one had any negative feedback regarding the change,” she told the board. Input from the city’s approximate 120 employees was also considered in the process, and two non-mandatory sessions were held about the proposed changes. “We wanted to make sure we had input from the employees,” Nass said. The board voted to approve the Finance Committee’s recommendation of changing providers from Mercy Health Plans to Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. The new plan will become effective Feb. 1. Under the new plan, rates for coverage will vary from $353.42 for an individual up to $971.91 for a family. For in-network providers: Physician co-payments will be $20; urgent care will have a $50 co-payment. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield’s rates are not only lower, but the company also guaranteed a 12 percent rate cap on next year’s renewal with the company. While Barker Phillips Jackson is a consulting firm, the actual purchase of the insurance is done directly through Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. The next meeting of the St. Robert Board of Aldermen will be Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 5 p.m. The date is a change from its usual Monday meetings, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The St. Robert Board of Aldermen meets in the Council Chambers inside the St. Robert Municipal Center, 194 Eastlawn Ave.
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