Lee County Commission chairman says county health care costs ‘unsustainable’

LEESBURG — Lee County Commission Chairman Rick Muggridge says the county government is in the midst of a health care crisis that is “unsustainable.”

Muggridge signaled the alert Tuesday night during the commission’s monthly work session. He said the annual net cost of health insurance per county employee in 2011 was $8,700. In the current year, the price tag has risen to $13,210, Muggridge said.

“We’re looking at going to $15,054 per employees,” he said. “In my opinion, that is unsustainable. We can’t ask the taxpayers to continue to do that. We’ve got to make some changes. There is no magic pill. We’ve got to make a lot of little changes, look at some alternatives.

“Barring somebody with an incredible revelation, we’re going to have to ask our employees to pay more this coming year with some sort of changes in our benefits to make our numbers work.”

Muggridge said health care costs paid by the commission have gone from $1.7 million in 2011 to $3.4 million. “That $1.7 million would pave a lot of roads, give a lot of raises, hire a lot of people and improve our county services,” he said.

“It’s no fault of our employees,” Muggridge said. “It’s no fault of this board. It’s just the reality of 2015 in the health care business. … I just think our employees deserve to know changes are coming.”

County Manager Ron Rabun said Aug. 1 marks the six-month point in the insurance renewal process. He proposed the full commission meet at that point “to discuss our numbers and begin to provide some direction and make some of these decisions in advance.”

“I had lunch with a businessman recently and he told me his health care costs have gone up 12 percent per year for the last six or seven years,” Rabun said. “It’s going on all around us.”

Muggridge noted that pharmacy costs have skyrocketed in recent months. Pharmacy expenses that were about $300,000 in 2011 are now at $627,000 annually, he said.

He also said he was closely following Dougherty County’s attempt to reduce health costs with an employee health clinic.

The commission has taken steps in the past to place more responsibility on employees. A wellness program has been instituted. Also, employees pay a surcharge if they use tobacco products and pay another surcharge if their spouse is covered despite having other insurance options.

Rabun said the wellness program can be strengthened to require employees to post specific results in their health scores to maintain reduced rates.