Caswell County commissioners debate splitting $100,000 health-insurance increase with employees

County finance staff presented scenarios showing a roughly $100,000 increase in the county’s health-insurance costs for the coming plan year and outlined options for how to cover it.

Dave Costa, the consultant who walked the board through rate sheets, said the total funding would rise from about $2.15 million to about $2.25 million and that the increase could be split in different ways. "It's about a $20 increase for employee only, about $20 for spouse coverage and about $30 for family coverage," Costa said while showing examples of a county-paid option and a 50/50 split.

Board members pressed for per-employee detail and historical context. Staff said that under a 50/50 scenario the county would shoulder about $55,000 of the increase while employees would pay roughly $45,000 in total through payroll deductions. Commissioners also noted that some state-funded positions (public-health, DSS) would shift part of their costs to the state; staff estimated that state participation could reduce the county share by roughly $20,000.

Discussion turned to the policy implications of absorbing costs versus passing them on. One commissioner said last year the board agreed to keep the employee-only rate flat at $15 but warned there is no guarantee that approach is sustainable going forward. Another said modest employee contributions can be justified to avoid continually expanding taxpayer burden.

A motion was made to adopt the proposed employee increase and was seconded during deliberations. The transcript does not record a roll-call tally or a final vote outcome for that motion; the excerpt ends after the motion and seconder were recorded.

Next steps: staff said the change would be reflected in the county’s fiscal-year 2025 budget and that the board must decide a funding split during the budget process.