Eau Claire (WQOW) - Local community leaders meet to talk about ways to cut costs, by making a change to employee health care.
The Joint Commission on Shared Services Initiatives met Thursday morning. The group includes board members from the City of Eau Claire, Eau Claire County and the Eau Claire School District.
"Health care is a huge issue for all of our organizations and our staff," says Eau Claire County Administrator, Tom McCarty.
"I think most people recognize that it is one of the most costly items in our budget," says Colleen Bates, the Vice Chair of the Joint Commission on Shared Services Initiatives.
One of the projects the commission is tackling is the possibility of joint health care. Currently, each organization has a different insurance plan.
"We believe there are savings to be had by our numbers, rather than just going out and purchasing independently," says, Bates.
But commission members recognize this is a balancing act.
Bates says, "I think we are looking for a way to provide excellent care and still control the cost."
Because of the hundreds of people affected by these changes, commission members know, this won't be an easy task.
"This is a real animal. And on top of everything else, we are hitting it right about the time federal law implications start to come into play," says, McCarty.
"I think education of the folks that are going to be having these plans is just as important as perhaps, coming up with something that works," says, Bates.
Eau Claire Area School Board President, Carol Craig, says, "I would really support the idea of more information to employee groups so that they understand this is an ongoing process and something that will ultimately be beneficial to everyone."
Right now there is still a lot of research to be done. The commission hopes to have some solid numbers to look at by February.
Bates says, "Coming back to us with at least an initial report in February, that says, how do the plans compare. Some matrix, some idea. It's going to be complicated."
There are a total of 6,500 individuals that currently have coverage between the three groups.
