Wood County Commission approves employee insurance changes
PARKERSBURG — The Wood County Commission Monday approved changes to insurance coverage for county employees.
Commissioners Blair Couch and Jimmy Colombo approved an increase of $5 a pay for employees’ insurance coverage. They also did a change-up in coverage costs where employees would now pay $500 upfront with $3,250 coming from the county’s Health Reimbursement Account with the employee paying an additional $250 at the end.
Before this, employees would pay $250 upfront with $3,250 coming from the county’s Health Reimbursement Account with the employee paying an additional $500 at the end.
”It would not change the amount of liability for the employee,” Couch said.
By paying more upfront now, officials believe employees would be more selective in what they have covered and would be more willing to shop around to see what kind of price they can get for certain services at competing health care facilities.
”You become a more active participant in your health care from a cost standpoint that we didn’t do 10-20 years ago,” Couch said.
In 2011-2012, for a family policy the commission paid 69 percent of the split and the employee paid 31 percent of the cost. A policy was $1,119 a month. During the last fiscal year, 2016-2017, the split had been increased 77 percent county and 23 percent employee because the cost of the family policy had increased to $2,148.
”We have seen another $1,000 increase over 5-6 years in the cost of family care,” Couch said. ”The real key consideration for us is whether we change any kind of out of pocket. We have not been able to give them pay raises through the county commission.”
Other officials have been able to use their budget to give raises to their employees, he added.
The change will go into effect on July 1.
Commissioner Robert Tebay was absent from Monday’s meeting as he was attending a meeting of the West Virginia County Commission Association in Charleston.
In other business:
* County Clerk Mark Rhodes informed the commission a raise in transfer taxes, approved by the state, would generage around $90,000 annually for the county. The changes are expected to go in place by August to allow attorneys to figure it into closing costs for upcoming real estate transactions. The county would have to do a legal ad 30-60 days before it becomes effective.
The new law gives the county commission the authority to raise the county’s portion of the transfer tax by 55 cents to $1.65.
Regional jail expenses was one of the reasons it passed to be able to give the counties local control over some revenue.
On a property transaction of around $100,000 the cost would be $110.
* The commission approved the appointments of Vienna Police Chief Mike Pifer, Sheriff Steve Stephens, Beniah Depue, Charlie Meyers, Jack Horton and Lew Peck to the Wood County E-911 Board.