photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World File Photo

The Douglas County Courthouse is pictured in September 2018.

Douglas County and its employees may soon see a cost increase in the county health care plan.

The Douglas County Commission on Wednesday will consider approving a one-year renewal of its employee health care plan with Trustmark that would begin on June 1 and last until May 31, 2021.

Of three options presented to the commissioners, county staff recommends the approval of “option 1,” which includes an increase of $580,500 to the county budget, according to a memo sent to the commissioners. That’s about a 6.9% increase to the total cost to the county, which is just under $9 million.

Along with the increased county funding, employees would also see a 6.9% increase in contributions, for a total of about $153,600. A single person plan would cost an employee about $81 a month, which is about $5 more than the current plan, and a family plan would cost an employee about $452 a month, a $29 increase, according to the memo. All told, the new plan would cost about an additional $734,100.

The plan also would include a $200 increase to the deductible and $400 increase to out-of-pocket maximum, but it adds coverage for hearing aids, among other benefits.

The staff’s recommendation comes after the county’s benefits plan consultants, Willis Towers Watson, reported the county would likely see an 8.5% increase in costs for the 2020-2021 plan year.

The county was offered two other option plans from Trustmark. The first is the “baseline” plan, which offers a total cost increase of $906,000, about 8.5%, without any coverage changes. The other is the “option 2” plan, which offers a total cost increase of $655,200, about 6.1% increase, but includes an increase of $300 to the deductible and $500 to the out-of-pocket maximum.

In other business, the commissioners will meet with the Heritage Conservation Council to discuss the council’s current programs and future plans. The discussion is scheduled for a work session, which means the commissioners will not take any action related to the subject during the meeting.

The County Commission will meet at the county courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St., at 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Wednesday for its work session and regular meeting, respectively. The meetings will be open to the walk-in public, but a link for the public to watch live online is available on the county’s website, douglascountyks.org. Residents may also call in and listen by phone by dialing 1-312-626-6799 and entering meeting ID 642 855 706. Full audio from the meeting will continue to be posted on the county’s website as normal.