City leaders postpone insurance discussion

Board tables community-center rental-fee issue

CANNELTON - City employees in Cannelton may have new health-insurance policies this spring should city leaders change insurance agencies.

Cannelton Common Council members heard representatives from Harpenau Insurance Agency LLC and Franzman Insurance Agency Inc.

Bob Harpenau, whose agency currently covers the city with United HealthCare, started off the presentations with a comparison between what he could offer and Siho Insurance Services, the health insurance Pete Franzman was offering.

Harpenau told members his figures were based on in-network coverage and if anyone would go outside of the network, it would cost more. For a family under United, an individual would have a $500 deductible while a family would pay $1,500. Siho provides the same. Beyond the deductible, a person would pay 20 percent of costs, with insurance paying 80 percent. Office co-pays are $25 with Siho costing $15 per visit.

Other services also covered under the policy would be mental-health visits, prosthetic devices and physical and occupational therapy. The monthly premium for the city would come to $7,164, Harpenau told members, adding that figure was based on the same enrollment as what Siho was quoting.

"Is dental not in these premiums," Councilwoman Lynn Fulkerson asked.

No, it is just comparing health and life insurance, not vision and dental, he responded.

"I think it would be more helpful for the council to see ... what we're paying," Clerk-Treasurer Arvina Bozarth said. "... I mean, how else are you going to make your decision? I mean, yea, you can look at all this, the deductibles and co pays ... but let's see what we're paying."

Franzman said his proposal was based on St. Mary's Select, which covers most, if not all, of southern Indiana and Owensboro, Ky., doctors and would cost the city about $6,201 per month. Also, he said, Siho does not have its own dental or vision insurance, so he included separate quotes for each of those.

"The difference between Harpenau's insurance and ours is that with theirs you can go to any dentist," Franzman said. "With mine is, I think, every dentist in the county is included except for Dr. Rudolph's office," but does include doctors in Jasper and Owensboro. The vision plan is through the same company as Harpenau's except with Franzman employees can get frames and lenses every 12 months while with Harpenau they can only get them every two years. There's only $6 difference between the two, Franzman added. For about $36 more added to the premium, the vision insurance would also cover progressive lenses, scratch-resistant lenses and more.

With vision, dental, health and life insurance, Harpenau could offer services for about $7,600 while Franzman's premium would be $6,700.

Mayor Smokey Graves asked members if they felt prepared to make a decision that night or wanted to vote at the April meeting. Councilman John Young III said it'd be nice to look things over because even though $1,000-a-month savings would be good, it'd be best to look it over and make sure they're giving employees the best insurance.

After the presentations Fulkerson said the better vision plan makes Siho more desirable but her reservation was that they didn't know much about it. Police Chief Kenny Kellems asked members if Franzman's plan covered all the local doctors because traveling to Owensboro or Jasper probably wouldn't sit well. Members replied that yes, it covers mostly southern Indiana.

City leaders were also supposed to hear liability-insurance presentations from Franzman and Hub Insurance. Franzman said he was "mystified" to see that on the agenda because he thought they were going to discuss it at the April meeting. Graves said that's correct and they would hold that discussion until then.

"We're going to table the gym-rental fees because there is a community-center board that still exists," the mayor also told members. He said before they come up with any fees, the board must find out if they even have the authority to set up one with or without their approval or if it's that board's duty to set fees.

Councilman Adam Goffinet asked the board if Taylor Street could be closed from Seventh to Eight streets for Dogwood Festival activities. The mayor said that would have to be addressed by the board of public works but saw no problem with it. Kellems agreed, as long as the closing doesn't interfere with the sheriff's department or other entities.