Council and commissioners debate forming health-insurance advisory committee to advise on employee coverage

County commissioners at the Feb. 11 council meeting proposed creating an advisory committee to review and provide recommendations on the county’s employee health-insurance plan and upcoming enrollment.

Commissioner (speaker identified in transcript as Speaker 9) said the group would meet quarterly with Apex, the county’s health-insurance administrator, and recommended a five-person panel that would include one council member, one commissioner, HR representation, one county employee and one citizen taxpayer who provides insurance for employees in their own business.

"I had recommended 1 council member, 1 commissioner, HR, 1 employee, and 1 citizen taxpayer," the commissioner said, arguing that a taxpayer representative would help ensure the committee considered who ultimately pays for the plan.

Council members debated whether an outside taxpayer representative would create a conflict (potential vendor status) and whether employee or internal representation risked bias. One council member raised HIPAA and privacy questions and asked HR if outside participation could violate health privacy rules; HR replied there would not be a HIPAA violation for including an informed outside industry representative.

Alternatives discussed included an internal committee composed of HR, the auditor, one or two council members and a commissioner, or a hybrid 5–7 member group with a mix of employees and outside expertise. Council member Amy volunteered to serve if the council chooses an appointee from the council.

No formal vote was taken. Commissioners indicated they would proceed with outreach and verify the committee makeup; the council agreed to provide suggestions for outside representatives by e-mail to the commissioners.