An increased premium and less coverage is not logical given the counties current and upcoming budget constraints. Sadly, the residents of Lake County that we serve receive better health coverage through federally funded Medi-Cal programs while we are continually faced with barriers to care. Though the county does provide services like Digbi health, Carrum, and RxnGo, these also have restricted services. I have used all of them, but none of these cover an Xray or labs or non-recurring medications. The Affordable Care Act enacted in 2014 requires Americans to have qualifying health insurance called minimum essential coverage. As county employees, we are not permitted to opt out of coverage to find coverage that is adequate based on our needs. It is up to you to decide what is adequate for us.
We have a median household income of $54,462 in Lake County. If you divide that by 12 you get $4,538.50 before taxes. For family coverage with PPO 80 being $3748 and the County only contributes $1500 that leaves the cost $2248 out of pocket (half of an average paycheck) each month. Most families employed by the County who do not qualify for Medi-Cal have no ability to afford this therefore are dependent on the Medi-Cal services our offices are employed to administer.
I would like to see outside research on alternative options rather than relying on Alliant. I would like to see comparisons with the coverages obtained by surrounding/comparable counties.
I urge the County to explore other health insurance options that could provide better coverage at a comparable or even lower cost than what is currently being offered to employees.
While employee wages have increased in recent years, the rising cost of living has far outpaced those increases. Many County employees continue to live paycheck to paycheck, making additional health insurance costs increasingly difficult to absorb.
Our current health insurance is generally adequate for preventive care, but it often falls short when employees need treatment for more serious health concerns. Claims are frequently denied, forcing employees to go through lengthy appeals just to receive medically necessary care. This creates unnecessary stress during times when employees should be focused on their health.
Our dental coverage is another significant concern. The annual benefit does not come close to covering the cost of major dental work. For example, it pays only a small portion of the cost of a crown—even when using an in-network provider. To make matters worse, there appears to be only one in-network dental provider in Lake County. Consider offering a dental plan without such limited access within the community it serves.
If changing insurance carriers is not feasible, I ask that you consider increasing the County's contribution toward employee health coverage. I understand that budget constraints are a major factor in these decisions. However, County employees are the individuals who work every day to protect County funding, maintain compliance with state and federal requirements, and reduce costly financial penalties. Many of us have dedicated years of service while adapting to multiple changes in the benefits we were originally promised when we accepted our positions.
Even employees enrolled in the PPO 80 plan remain responsible for 20 percent of their medical costs after insurance pays its share. When combined with rising premium contributions, the cost of maintaining health coverage can approach the amount of a monthly mortgage payment for some families.
I also encourage the Board to consider the broader economic impact these decisions have on our community. Lake County is already facing economic challenges, including the effects of changes to the CalFresh work requirements. As fewer residents receive benefits, less money will circulate through local businesses. Increasing healthcare costs for County employees at the same time further reduces disposable income, placing additional strain on our local economy and potentially creating greater long-term costs for the County.
This issue affects every department and every County employee. Investing in affordable, accessible healthcare is an investment in retaining experienced employees, maintaining a healthy workforce, and continuing to provide quality public service to the residents of Lake County.
I am opposed to the proposed increase in the monthly employee out-of-pocket cost for health benefits. With the continued high cost of living, many employees are already struggling to make ends meet from month to month. Access to affordable healthcare is a basic necessity, and employees should not have to choose between maintaining health coverage and providing for their families.
I am concerned that higher monthly costs will force many employees to choose the least expensive health plan based on affordability rather than their healthcare needs. As a result, they may delay or avoid necessary medical care, potentially leading to more serious health issues, increased medical leave, and higher long-term costs. We just got an increase and we're already losing that difference.
I am a dedicated County employee. I am speaking today to express my strong opposition to the proposed 2027 health medical renewal changes.
To make matters worse, a significant portion of this spike is driven by a 7.5% surcharge applied directly to Lake County due to high healthcare utilization over recent years.
Our county faces well-documented rural healthcare access challenges—including shortages of local primary care providers and specialists—which force many of us to rely out-of-county facilities. Penalizing employees with a 7.5% surcharge for healthcare costs that stem from a lack of local medical options is unjust. We shouldn't be financially punished for living and working in a medically underserved area.
The reality is that many county staff members are already barely making enough to survive in this economy. Between soaring housing costs, food prices, and everyday living expenses, our take-home pay is stretched to the absolute limit. We simply cannot absorb additional monthly pay cuts to fund healthcare.
Under these proposed changes:
Out-of-Pocket Costs Are Surging: For standard single coverage on the PPO 80 plan, employees will now be paying $259.55 per month out of pocket—even after the County’s contribution.
Forced into High-Risk, Lower-Tier Plans: When employees are priced out of comprehensive coverage, they are forced into lower-tiered plans with high deductibles and high copays. This creates a dangerous barrier: workers will delay or skip necessary medical visits, bloodwork, and preventative care simply because they cannot afford the upfront costs. Deferring care only leads to worse health outcomes and far higher catastrophic medical claims down the road.
Essential Benefits Are Being Cut: To keep rates from climbing even higher, coverage for GLP-1 medications for weight loss is being stripped away, leaving coverage strictly for Type II Diabetes. Restricting preventative medical care will only lead to higher long-term healthcare costs and more severe health conditions down the road.
Asking county staff to pay substantially more for reduced healthcare coverage hurts morale, undermines recruitment, and penalizes workers who are already struggling to get by.
I strongly urge the Board to work with labor representatives to find alternative cost-containment measures, increase the County’s contribution to absorb this surcharge, and protect essential employee health benefits.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
An increased premium and less coverage is not logical given the counties current and upcoming budget constraints. Sadly, the residents of Lake County that we serve receive better health coverage through federally funded Medi-Cal programs while we are continually faced with barriers to care. Though the county does provide services like Digbi health, Carrum, and RxnGo, these also have restricted services. I have used all of them, but none of these cover an Xray or labs or non-recurring medications. The Affordable Care Act enacted in 2014 requires Americans to have qualifying health insurance called minimum essential coverage. As county employees, we are not permitted to opt out of coverage to find coverage that is adequate based on our needs. It is up to you to decide what is adequate for us.
We have a median household income of $54,462 in Lake County. If you divide that by 12 you get $4,538.50 before taxes. For family coverage with PPO 80 being $3748 and the County only contributes $1500 that leaves the cost $2248 out of pocket (half of an average paycheck) each month. Most families employed by the County who do not qualify for Medi-Cal have no ability to afford this therefore are dependent on the Medi-Cal services our offices are employed to administer.
I would like to see outside research on alternative options rather than relying on Alliant. I would like to see comparisons with the coverages obtained by surrounding/comparable counties.
I urge the County to explore other health insurance options that could provide better coverage at a comparable or even lower cost than what is currently being offered to employees.
While employee wages have increased in recent years, the rising cost of living has far outpaced those increases. Many County employees continue to live paycheck to paycheck, making additional health insurance costs increasingly difficult to absorb.
Our current health insurance is generally adequate for preventive care, but it often falls short when employees need treatment for more serious health concerns. Claims are frequently denied, forcing employees to go through lengthy appeals just to receive medically necessary care. This creates unnecessary stress during times when employees should be focused on their health.
Our dental coverage is another significant concern. The annual benefit does not come close to covering the cost of major dental work. For example, it pays only a small portion of the cost of a crown—even when using an in-network provider. To make matters worse, there appears to be only one in-network dental provider in Lake County. Consider offering a dental plan without such limited access within the community it serves.
If changing insurance carriers is not feasible, I ask that you consider increasing the County's contribution toward employee health coverage. I understand that budget constraints are a major factor in these decisions. However, County employees are the individuals who work every day to protect County funding, maintain compliance with state and federal requirements, and reduce costly financial penalties. Many of us have dedicated years of service while adapting to multiple changes in the benefits we were originally promised when we accepted our positions.
Even employees enrolled in the PPO 80 plan remain responsible for 20 percent of their medical costs after insurance pays its share. When combined with rising premium contributions, the cost of maintaining health coverage can approach the amount of a monthly mortgage payment for some families.
I also encourage the Board to consider the broader economic impact these decisions have on our community. Lake County is already facing economic challenges, including the effects of changes to the CalFresh work requirements. As fewer residents receive benefits, less money will circulate through local businesses. Increasing healthcare costs for County employees at the same time further reduces disposable income, placing additional strain on our local economy and potentially creating greater long-term costs for the County.
This issue affects every department and every County employee. Investing in affordable, accessible healthcare is an investment in retaining experienced employees, maintaining a healthy workforce, and continuing to provide quality public service to the residents of Lake County.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
I am opposed to the proposed increase in the monthly employee out-of-pocket cost for health benefits. With the continued high cost of living, many employees are already struggling to make ends meet from month to month. Access to affordable healthcare is a basic necessity, and employees should not have to choose between maintaining health coverage and providing for their families.
I am concerned that higher monthly costs will force many employees to choose the least expensive health plan based on affordability rather than their healthcare needs. As a result, they may delay or avoid necessary medical care, potentially leading to more serious health issues, increased medical leave, and higher long-term costs. We just got an increase and we're already losing that difference.
I am a dedicated County employee. I am speaking today to express my strong opposition to the proposed 2027 health medical renewal changes.
To make matters worse, a significant portion of this spike is driven by a 7.5% surcharge applied directly to Lake County due to high healthcare utilization over recent years.
Our county faces well-documented rural healthcare access challenges—including shortages of local primary care providers and specialists—which force many of us to rely out-of-county facilities. Penalizing employees with a 7.5% surcharge for healthcare costs that stem from a lack of local medical options is unjust. We shouldn't be financially punished for living and working in a medically underserved area.
The reality is that many county staff members are already barely making enough to survive in this economy. Between soaring housing costs, food prices, and everyday living expenses, our take-home pay is stretched to the absolute limit. We simply cannot absorb additional monthly pay cuts to fund healthcare.
Under these proposed changes:
Out-of-Pocket Costs Are Surging: For standard single coverage on the PPO 80 plan, employees will now be paying $259.55 per month out of pocket—even after the County’s contribution.
Forced into High-Risk, Lower-Tier Plans: When employees are priced out of comprehensive coverage, they are forced into lower-tiered plans with high deductibles and high copays. This creates a dangerous barrier: workers will delay or skip necessary medical visits, bloodwork, and preventative care simply because they cannot afford the upfront costs. Deferring care only leads to worse health outcomes and far higher catastrophic medical claims down the road.
Essential Benefits Are Being Cut: To keep rates from climbing even higher, coverage for GLP-1 medications for weight loss is being stripped away, leaving coverage strictly for Type II Diabetes. Restricting preventative medical care will only lead to higher long-term healthcare costs and more severe health conditions down the road.
Asking county staff to pay substantially more for reduced healthcare coverage hurts morale, undermines recruitment, and penalizes workers who are already struggling to get by.
I strongly urge the Board to work with labor representatives to find alternative cost-containment measures, increase the County’s contribution to absorb this surcharge, and protect essential employee health benefits.
Thank you for your time and consideration.