The City of Algood searching for better health insurance options for city employees.
Algood City Administrator Keith Morrison said the city watching continuing increases in cost. Morrison said the city is trying to find a better health insurance plan than the current one.
“We are looking to make it better for the employee and try to give them more control and more access to better coverage,” Morrison said. “We definitely don’t want any employees to lose insurance or lose options. That’s not even on the table. We want to make sure whatever we are doing is improving what we are offering and not degrading what we are offering.”
Morrison said the city has been working to resolve the health insurance issue for a few months now and still does not have a solution. Morrison said the budget work is underway and he’s hopeful of some new options.
“Right now I’m not sure,” Morrison said. “It’s kind of been back and forth and we have been working on it for a couple of months trying to come up with solutions. Right now I don’t think we are gonna make it before July 1. So the next option would be to try to change January 1.”
Morrison said if the city cannot find a solution then the city would stay with the health insurance coverage the city employees already have. Morrison said he is unsure what the impact on the budget would be if the city ultimately stays with the current health insurance coverages.
“We are not sure yet cause the renewals have not come out,” Morrison said. “Our rates have been pretty steady the last few years so I don’t see it being a drastic change to us.”
Morrison said the city was not caught off guard by the cost increase as it was only a matter of time before the costs would catch up to the city.
