Grand Forks County Weighing Decisions On Health Insurance Plans, Wage Step Increases

(KNOX) – Grand Forks County’s current health insurance plan is being described as unsustainable by some county commissioners. This comes as the county is preparing to deal with a possible 20 percent increase in costs next year.

The Insurance Center group managing partner Jeff LeClaire says there are options to avoid an increase in insurance costs from Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota for the 2027 budget.

One of the options is changing the county insurance plan’s network access to Altru Health System. The majority of the claims that county employees may go through Altru. Another option is switching to health insurance through the North Dakota Public Employees Retirement System. The retirement system doesn’t offer the same level of benefits as the county’s current plan does.

LeClaire says that getting rid of the county’s health reimbursement arrangement could save the county roughly $400,000.

Meanwhile, County Resources Director Michele Thiel is suggesting a wage step increase for the 86 percent of county employees who qualify. She is also recommending a three percent cost-of-living adjustment to employee compensation.

Grand Forks County Sheriff Andy Schneider thinks that avoiding step increases and only choosing a three percent adjustment might create compression issues in his department. He also says some employees are receiving $2 or $3 a month with the adjustment.