Colfax approves employee health insurance with $4,000 and $8,000 deductibles
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — The Colfax Village Board has approved health insurance for employees through WEA Trust with a deductible of $4,000 for a single person and $8,000 for a family.
Lynn Niggemann, village administrator-clerk-treasurer, presented four options for health insurance to the village board at the November 25 meeting.
The deductibles represent an increase from the insurance plan approved last year that had $3,000 and $6,000 deductibles.
The village of Colfax has had health insurance with WEA Trust for the past three years, Niggemann said.
If the village uses the reserve amount set up with WEA Trust, the increase in health insurance premiums will represent an 8 percent increase over last year with an annual premium of $122,537, she said.
If the village does not use the reserve, the increase will be 11 percent with an annual premium of $125,937, Niggemann said.
The monthly premium this year is $9,437, and the monthly premium next year will be $10,211.
The health insurance option approved by the village board includes an $8,000 deductible for an individual and a $16,000 deductible for a family for non-network health care with an out-of-pocket maximum of $10,000 and $20,000.
The in-network deductibles of $4,000 and $8,000 have a maximum out-of-pocket of $4,250 and $8,500.
Other options that would have had deductibles of $1,000/$2,000 or $1,500/$3,000 or $2,000/$5,000 would have had an annual cost ranging from $147,000 to $162,000 without using the reserve or an annual cost ranging from $143,000 to $158,000 with using the reserve.
The increases represented by the other options ranged from a 30 percent increase to a 43 percent increase in health insurance premiums.
Last year, the Colfax Village Board approved a contribution of $1,000 for each employee for a Health Savings Account (HSA) to offset some of the deductible that would have to be paid by the employees.
The village pays 90 percent of the health insurance premium, and employees pay 10 percent.
The village board did not take any action on contributions toward an HSA for employees at the November 25 meeting, and Niggemann said she would inform the employees that they can still contribute to their HSAs even if the village does not approve a contribution.
After the deductible has been paid for in-network health care, the insurance plan covers 100 percent of the cost
For out-of-network health care, the insurance plan covers 20 percent of the cost.
Prescription drug coverage becomes applicable after the deductible is paid, with generic drugs costing the employee from $0 to $10 for each prescription, Tier II drugs costing the employee $30 for each prescription and Tier III/non-formulary drugs costing the employee $60 for each prescription.
Village Trustee Mark Halpin asked if the employees who are signed up for the village’s health insurance actually use the insurance.
Niggemann said the employees are “pretty healthy” and that not all of the employees are on the village’s health insurance plan.
Halpin said the employees should be reminded that “things do happen” and pointed to himself as an example.
Earlier this year, Halpin was unable to attend a number of village board meetings because of health complications.
Other business
In other business at the November 25 meeting, the Colfax Village Board approved a bartender’s operator license for Paula Duncan (The Blind Tiger) from November 25, 2019, to June 30, 2020.
Closed session
The Colfax Village Board met in closed session for more than an hour and a half after the open session on November 25.
The meeting notice stated, “Motion to convene into closed session pursuant to WI Statutes 19.85(1)(e) Deliberating or negotiating the purchase of public properties, the investing of public funds or conducting other specified public business, whenever competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session.”
There was no indication from the meeting notice what the village board was deliberating or negotiating or what the competitive nature or bargaining reasons might be.
According to the state Attorney General’s “Wisconsin Open Meetings Law Compliance Guide” (May 2019), “The Attorney General has advised that notice of closed sessions must contain the specific nature of the business, as well as the exemption(s) under which the chief presiding officer believes a closed session is authorized. Merely identifying and quoting from a statutory exemption does not reasonably identify any particular subject that might be taken up thereunder and thus is not adequate notice of a closed session.”
Upon convening into open session, the village board took no action on whatever the subject was during closed session.