Jackson aldermen choose narrow-network insurance plan for city employees

The Jackson Board of Aldermen on Monday unanimously passed an ordinance authorizing a contractual agreement with United Healthcare to provide health insurance for the close to 130 city of Jackson employees.

Jim Roach, Jackson city administrator, said Monday the board chose to switch health insurance providers from Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield to United Healthcare of Maryland Heights, Mo., and in turn, switch to a narrower network.

The narrower network excludes Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, said Jackson Mayor Barbara Lohr earlier Monday.

The board chose a narrower network to keep premiums as low as possible for city employees, she said, and premium costs only increased slightly.

"Costs for insurance premiums would have gone up considerably," had the city not gone with the narrower network, Lohr said.

Some doctors not associated with either Saint Francis or Southeast Hospital will be considered "in-network" health care providers, she said.

The Cape Girardeau School Board in November approved a "narrow network" health-insurance plan offered by Anthem.

Saint Francis, Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis and facilities owned and operated by the two hospitals are not included in the narrow network, and Southeast Hospital and other St. Louis hospitals are included in the narrow network.

If school district employees wish to include Saint Francis and Barnes facilities in his or her health-insurance network, an additional payment of $41.30 per month is required.

A similar "buy-up" opportunity will not be offered to Jackson city employees who wish to continue to use Saint Francis or Barnes-Jewish as their health care providers, Lohr said, because it was not offered during negotiations.

"They would be responsible for more out-of-pocket costs," she said.

Other action

In other action, aldermen passed an ordinance approving the rezoning of a section of land at the intersection of East Main Street and North Oak Hill Road from general commercial and enhanced commercial overlay to general residential. Aldermen also passed an ordinance approving a special-use permit allowing multiple town house units to be built on the property.

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