Health insurance ruling could cost Douglas County $1 million

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20130517/LIVEWELL01/705179937#health-insurance-ruling-could-cost-douglas-county-1-million

By Cody Winchester
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Omaha World-Herald
May 17, 2013

Douglas County could be on the hook for $1 million after a judge ruled that retired county workers should pay the same for health care as current employees.

Two retired deputies sued Douglas County in 2009 after the County Board scaled back the premium subsidies paid to retirees until they become eligible for Medicare.

The lawsuit included employees covered by three bargaining units, each of which has a different premium rate, and nonunion workers. The county paid 93 percent of a single-coverage plan for a retired employee represented by the Fraternal Order of Police, for example. To save money, the board reduced premium supports to 75 percent.

That translated to an additional $83.42 a month paid by FOP retirees, or more if the employee was on a family plan, according to the lawsuit filed by Sam Christiansen and Rich McShane. It was later expanded to cover 257 employees under age 65 who retired before 2010, when the new policy kicked in.

FULL story at link.