Benefit costs may rise for Kane Co. workers

Kane County employees could be asked to start paying more for their health insurance for the rest of this year.

And they may also have to pick up the whole tab for dental and vision insurance.

A budget subcommittee of the Kane County Board Friday learned how much money the county could save, now through the end of its fiscal year in November, if it changed benefits. The county board is trying to fix an estimated $3.8 million projected deficit.

The county has 1,340 workers, and 88 percent of them get their health insurance through the county. If the workers paid 10 percent more for their share of the health insurance premium, the county would save $100,000, said Cathy Soto of Aon Consulting Inc., the county's benefits consultant.

Eliminating the county portion of dental insurance would save $237,000. The county now pays 60 percent of the premium. Taking out vision would save $53,220.

And doubling the maximum out-of-pocket deductible on major medical bills would save another $46,000, she said.

However, nearly half of the employees work under union contracts, so any changes related to insurance would have to be negotiated with them, said Sheila McCraven, the county's human resources director.

The subcommittee has asked for more information about the possibility of adding a $50-a-month surcharge for people who take county insurance when they or their dependents are eligible for insurance under another plan.And Aon will ask Blue Cross Blue Shield, the insurance provider, to reduce its premiums, although Soto thought that was unlikely.

For the future, board member John Fahy said he would like to see the county move closer to a 75/25 percent split between employer and employee contributions for premiums, which is the industry average, Soto said. The county now is picking up about 85 percent of the cost of insurance overall, Soto said.

The board also briefly discussed the idea of offering incentives to get people to quit or retire. Committee chairman Mike Kenyon presented plans offered by Sangamon County to its employees, where they offered to pay part of the departing workers' health insurance premiums, or offered a lump sum of cash.

The committee wants to know how many Kane County employees are eligible for Medicare and a breakdown of years of service for all employees.

"I think what we need to do now is focus on some of the voluntary aspects" such as offering incentives for early retirement, said board member John Fahy of West Dundee. Fahy, an Elgin Fire Department employee, said 5 percent of unionized Elgin fire employees took voluntary severance when such an incentive was offered.

The subcommittee will meet again Wednesday. It intends to present a recommendation to the full county board May 14.