Hampton Council approves of health insurance plan

The Hampton City Council approved its employee insurance plan for the 2018 calendar year with an insurance premium increase of 11.91 percent.
According to the city’s Wellmark agent, the city’s rates technically went up approximately eight percent, but an Affordable Care Act (ACA) fee of 3.5 percent was instituted this year on premiums. City Manager Ron Dunt said that the fee was in place several years earlier then was left out for several years. The increase totals approximately $3,500 per month, equating to approximately $42,000 a year. The city currently pays $29,700 per month in premiums.
According to Dunt, the city is currently in agreement with the city’s union to partake in a partial self-funded down policy, in which the city pays not only for the insurance plan, but a portion of the deductible for those that partake in the insurance plan. The city’s current plan states that an individual deductible is $2,500 while a family deductible is $5,000. According to the agreement, a single person would only have to pay $200 of the deductible, and family would only have to pay $400 of the deductible.
Read the full story in the November 22 edition.