Page 151 - Cover 3.psd
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OVERVIEW OF THE SELF INSURANCE FUND


        The Self-Insurance Fund is an internal service fund established July 27, 1987.  This fund pays for city-wide
        expenses  related  to  medical  coverage  for  employees,  retirees  and  dependents,  workers’  compensation
        coverage, property and casualty coverage, life insurance and all administrative expenses associated with the
        City’s self-insurance program.  Revenues come from charges to other City funds, employee and retiree insurance
        premiums, and reimbursement from insurance carriers such as medical stop loss or for property losses.

        The total Self-Insurance Fund budget for 2018/2019 is $15,058,070. Of the total, 83.2% is for health and medical
        expenses including prescription costs, 3.3% for personnel expenses, 4.0% for workers’ compensation expenses,
        and 5.9% for other insurance related expenses.

        To help slow the growth of the City’s health insurance costs, significant changes to the health plan were made
        in plan year 2018 to include:  eligibility requirements for the retiree health plan changed to a rule based system
        as well as a minimum retirement age of 55 was adopted; individual deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums
        increased by $1,000 and $2,000 respectively on the City’s high deductible health plan (HRA); copays were
        increased to encourage use of Tier 1 providers on the traditional health plan; on both plans, co-insurance for
        out-of-network  lab  and  imaging  services  was  reduced  to    50%;  and  the  City  introduced  a  Dental  Health
        maintenance Organization in conjunction with our traditional dental plan.  For the first time in several years, the
        City’s health insurance expenses are expected to finish under budget for FY 2017/2018.

        Additional plan design changes will be made in plan year 2019 to include:  Traditional Plan Non-Tier 1 provider
        co-pays  will  be  eliminated  and  replaced  with  co-insurance  to  encourage  the  use  of  Tier  1  providers,  and
        Traditional Plan deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums will increase $500.   As we do each year, HR staff met
        with the City’s compensation and benefits committee (made up of 12 employees from a variety of departments)
        to discuss the proposed changes to the City’s health plan.  Options were discussed and committee members
        input was sought before finalizing our recommendation.

        The City will continue to aggressively implement wellness programs to help slow the increase in our health
        insurance costs.  This year’s wellness strategy once again includes the “NRH Can Do Wellness” program utilizing
        an online portal to track participant health and wellness activities such as annual health screenings or exercise.
        On-going wellness initiatives include, skin cancer screenings, biometric screenings, a weight loss and fitness
        program, health and benefits fair, and annual flu shots for employees, retirees and dependents.


































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