CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Kanawha County Commission will meet with a group of county employees in a work session Tuesday morning to discuss a possible change in health insurance coverage for county workers.
The commission is considering switching from its current system to the state-operated Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA).
Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said the county can no longer sustain its current system with costs expected to increase approximately $700,000 annually.
“We have a responsibility, number one, to the taxpayers and as importantly, we have a great responsibility to the employees,” Carper said. “The amount of increase in one year alone is a budget buster.”
Carper said there’s enough blame to go around for rising health care costs including a “wholesale failure of Congress.”
Carper said the goal of Tuesday’s meeting, which begins at 8:30 a.m., is to allow representatives of workers in each county agency to participate meaningfully in a discussion about the options.
The county currently has what Carper calls a self-pay system.
“If we get a doctor’s bill for $ we pay the $1,” Carper said.
The change to PIEA, which offers approximately eight different plans for members, could save Kanawha County about $3 million a year. Carper said those savings could help what could be increased premiums for workers.
“I would roll some of that immediately and give some relief to the employees for their copay and or their shared premium costs. I would also put the rest of it in a health savings account so we can smooth out future increases for a while,” Carper said.
Carper said he would like to bring the proposal to a vote some time before the commission votes on its budget for the next fiscal year. It’s possible the changes could occur on July 1.