After opening up the meeting with the regular exercises, the commission conducted a number of executive sessions before hearing from the county’s health insurance broker, Don Doherty about health plans for the county employees for 2026.
2026 Benefits Discussion
Commissioner Mika Milburn read aloud portions of an email from a Bourbon County citizen saying that the commission missed an opportunity to make changes in the county’s health care plan that would cause county employees to become more responsible consumers of their health care. The email cited as an example the idea of a high-deductible Health Savings Account plan. The writer also mentioned that the taxpayers bear the burden of paying the high cost of county employee health care.
Milburn said she received other messages along the same lines and that she had voter’s remorse after last week’s vote. She moved to rescind that last vote and have another vote after the discussion with Don Doherty.
Commissioner Samuel Tran seconded it, with the caveat of having an open discussion in the meeting. He said that he, too, had second thoughts after last week’s vote and received emails and phone calls about it afterwards.
“I think we may have missed the boat on that, but I hope we didn’t,” he said. He expressed concern about messing up people and the county as a whole.
The motion to rescind carried with Commissioner David Beerbower opposing.
Doherty presented to the commission regarding the county’s health plan as the county’s insurance broker. He pointed out how hard it is to choose a plan.
He mentioned focusing on helping the employees first. He also said that offering the employees a choice of four different plans allows them to choose what works in their world.
Doherty talked about the prevalence of HSAs in other businesses in the region, mentioning how those who participate get to keep their money and are incentivized to make good health decisions.
He said that 12 percent of the county’s employees made 98% of the claims. Of those remaining, 73% had less than a $1,000 claim, giving them money left-over to put towards their retirement, if they had an HSA option.
Regarding family plans, he mentioned that the plan they voted for last week would only work if the number of employees wanting family coverage doesn’t change. A few changes could blow the budget.
He distributed a document of hypothetical plans that the county could adopt.
Beerbower asked about HSAs. Doherty mentioned that it takes some getting used to for the employees, but they can become very popular because of all the tax advantages.
Tanner O’Dell spoke re. the vote the commission made last week. He was speaking on behalf of “most of the public works employees.” Several of the employees are concerned about losing their longevity pay. He called the commissioners’ failure to account for the 17% increase in insurance costs when making the 2026 budget a mistake, which results in a benefit cut for public works employees. His own example results in a 10% reduction in what he will be able to bring home each month.
He asked the commissioners to answer separately the question of what the employees have done wrong to deserve this pay cut.
Tran expressed concern that the commission take the time to digest the new information from the insurance broker before making a decision.
Beerbower said that the information hasn’t really changed and is concerned with the close of the open enrollment window placing a burden on the county’s employees.
He agreed that the 80/20 plan passed last week fails if the county has an increase in enrollees in the family plan. He also addressed the email Milburn and he both received saying that the county is actually not far off from what other companies provide.
He also said that when the county decided to leave the state plan, they put themselves in this situation, and stated that his goal is to get the county back into the state plan in the future.
Milburn expressed concern about keeping the rich family plan. The current model has proven unstable, and their pool has paid out more in claims than they contributed. She focused on the need to choose a plan that is sustainable regardless of future changes.
Beerbower proposed going to a 75/25 split on all plans except for singles at 85/15. He also mentioned that an HSA seems like a good option for some employees.
County Clerk Susan Walker reminded the commission that not having as many employees in the family plan will reduce the amount paid toward the insurance premiums by employees.
County Counsel Bob Johnson said the commission was focused on the deductible but needed to recognize that most employees are going to be focused on the premiums and their monthly cost.
An audience member who works for EMS said that if they price the employees out of insurance, they will lose employees.
“The best thing to do is we all share in the challenges of life in Bourbon County, ” said Tran. “That’s the best I can hope for, and that’s what I’m striving to do.”
He and Beerbower both stated that the money for the county to absorb the increased cost just isn’t there, and the employees will have to bear some of it.
Tran also said his call for a vote on the health insurance plan last week was a misstep.
Tran moved that the county accept Plan D given to them by Don Dougherty. The motion carried with Milburn dissenting.