HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-01-19-HBRC-min.pdf Minutes from 1/19/05
Health Care Review Committee
Members Attending:
Bob Beckwitt
Evelyn Silber
Debbie Strod
Dick Dougherty
Bill Kennedy
Tom Rand
Deferred approving minutes from 1/6/05 meeting
Discussed method unions use to calculate insurance benefits
-Important to understand this process, look at alternative ways
-Lexington ranks well in insurance component, less well in salary component.
-If insurance component were to decline, might need to raise salary to compensate.
Review of Survey Data
-Still trying to get comprehensive data on all towns
-17 towns in survey, have data on 15 for co-pays
-key items, copay (most towns similar to Lexington), aggregate out of pocket costs, and
rates for insurance premiums
-need to develop tables to summarize data
-Brookline total rates are low even with similar benefits. Why is this?
-need data on total for family versus individual subscribers.
-total enrollment, total cost to town, town/employee split, retires/total subscribers.
-Lexington only town offering opt-outs.
High deductible plans
-Likely to be a long term plan, need further investigation.
-Transparency is higher with these plans.
-Can we look at whether EOB's are displayed?
-How does HD plan work for lower paid employees?
-Enrollment bias may be toward healthy subscribers.
Questions for GBS
-What factors contribute to variation in cost by town given similar copays
-Reviewed other questions already outlined in handout.
-Add question about pooled purchase opportunities
Discussion of filling in the grids (list of options)
-copays,high deductibles, HAS,part time employees, blue choice, change
town/employee contributions,prorate based on salary, group purchasing, dividend savings
back to employees, health promotion and education, limiting cost growth for town while
employees pay the rest, disease management,pay more for opting out, mail order, audit for
claim/participant accuracy, Canada imports, pharmacy benefit management, long term choices
for retiree plans.