The Finance Committee of the Trenton City Council is recommending two employee health insurance plan options to the council for approval following action taken during a meeting on Thursday night.
The city will have its insurance coverage with the Missouri Intergovernmental Risk Management Association (MIRMA), whom the city council has already approved to provide all of the city insurance coverage. MIRMA includes 18 communities from across the state who have formed a pool in an effort to get better coverage rates. MIRMA/MIRMA Health Executive Director Matthew Brodersen was at the meeting to explain the new pool coverage, which is in its first year. MIRMA has provided the city health insurance coverage in the past through a self-funded program.
The new plans would cost the city an additional $86,758 over what is currently being paid for health insurance coverage. This would include a 14.7 percent increase for the regular individual employee coverage (Plan 6), which will go from $638.99 to $733 per month per employee. Regular coverages that include spouse, children and family will also increase in the 14.2 to 14.6 percent range. All but one city employee currently has this coverage, which will have a $2,500 individual deductible for an in-network provider and a $5,000 deductible for using an out-of-network provider. Out-of-pocket individual maximums are $4,500 and $9,000.
A second plan with a higher deductible (Plan 9) would see a decrease, with the individual employee cost going from $632.36 to $603 per month. Spouse, child and family rates would also see a decrease. The in-network provider deductible would be $4,500 while the out-of-network deductible would be $9,000. The individual out-of-pocket would be $6,000 and $12,000.
Brodersen noted that the new plans cover the same services as what was included in the previous coverage and that they include preventive care services at no cost to the employee. Plans also include an annual no-cost eye exam for all participants, no-cost diabetic testing strips and lancets, a telemedicine benefit and prescription drug coverage. The co-pays, applicable deductible payments and co-insurance amounts and prescription co-plans all count toward the out of pocket maximum on all plans.
The recommendation will go to the council for approval at the Nov. 25 meeting. Open enrollment would begin the first week in December, with the new coverage to begin on Jan. 1.
In other business, the committee had its six-month review of city revenues and expenses.
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