Healthcare premiums for Monroe County employees are going to stay stable for another year.
Monroe County Commissioner John Christy said at the commissioners meeting on Wednesday morning that it is status quo for the premium costs for the upcoming year.
“I’m pleased to report that once again we have had no appreciable increases in the premium this coming year, meaning our employees will pay the same premium for the same coverage,” Christy said.
Dental even has some improvements.
“In fact, the United Concordia Dental agreement has actually been improved just a bit, opening up more dentists that will take the insurance that we offer,” he said.
Christy said the way the employees use the health care plan “influences greatly the cost of that health plan going forward.”
“So its kudos here to our employees,” he said.
The United Concordia Dental plan for the period from Jan. 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2024, will be $1.85 per subscriber per month, plus a 4% network access fee.
Another help in keeping premiums flat is Swift MD. Christy said the service enables employees to call and talk to a doctor about minor health issues, such as a fever or insect bite.
“The employee many times doesn’t have to incur the cost of a doctor’s visit or the time away from work, so that has helped our employees immensely,” Christy said. “I’m just happy that once again we’re able to not pass on any costs to the employees for health care, other than those that they already incur and have incurred over the last three or four years.”
The administration agreements for health care approved by the commissioners include: Highmark HRA, $5.15 per member/per month; PPO, $9.12; HMO, $16.32; Geisinger POS’s, $9.91; VBA Vision, $0.96; Swift MD, $5.50. These costs are for the period from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31, 2024.