EBENSBURG Over employee protests, Cambria Countys two Republican commissioners approved a $100,000-a-year agreement with a health-care consulting company that says it can assure a $300,000 savings next year in health-care costs. <\/p>\n
Thomas Chernisky, the Democratic minority commissioner on the three-member board, cast a dissenting vote after his motion failed to table the agreement until other proposals could be heard and reviewed by the countys health-care committee. <\/p>\n
Protesting the agreement were members of the health-care committee made up of 18 union employees and Brian Beppler, the countys human resources director. The committee has saved the county millions of dollars in health-care coverage over several years while doing the same job at no cost as the consultant would do, Patricia Moore, a member, said. <\/p>\n
The agreement, which is effective Nov. 1, is with Gallagher Benefit Services Inc., a subsidiary of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. The parent company, which merged with the former Gleason Agency of Johnstown last year, was retained as Cambrias insurance broker last year, also by the same 2-1 vote. <\/p>\n
Christopher Gleason Jr., Gallagher area vice president, said that the anticipated increase in cost in the countys health-care coverage is expected to go up as much as 13.5 percent, although Beppler said it might be 8 percent. <\/p>\n
Cambria is a self-insured county and has a plan through UPMC. Its health-care cost this year is about $11 million. <\/p>\n
President Commissioner Douglas Lengenfelder said Cambria will end up with a $200,000 net savings after paying Gallagher the $100,000 fee in the first year. If Gallagher fails to deliver on the savings, there will be reductions in its fee. <\/p>\n
Moore, an assistant public defender, disputed whether the memorandum of understanding with Gallagher does provide the outs that Lengenfelder described. <\/p>\n
The committee has saved Cambria $4.27 million in health-care costs since 2007, she said. Between 2009 and 2011, the savings have been <\/p>\n
$1 million a year as the committee explored options and looked at employee incentives to cut costs, she said. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
More: <\/p>\n
Despite protests, county hires health-care consultant<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" EBENSBURG Over employee protests, Cambria Countys two Republican commissioners approved a $100,000-a-year agreement with a health-care consulting company that says it can assure a $300,000 savings next year in health-care costs. Thomas Chernisky, the Democratic minority commissioner on the three-member board, cast a dissenting vote after his motion failed to table the agreement until other proposals could be heard and reviewed by the countys health-care committee. Protesting the agreement were members of the health-care committee made up of 18 union employees and Brian Beppler, the countys human resources director. Continue reading