Saginaw County Employee Healthcare Being Changed, Funded By ARPA

Saginaw County employees will soon be seeing a change in their health insurance to a health savings account style plan.

Using $442,870 of American Rescue Plan Act funds, the County will be switching employees over to the HSA plans and supplementing those accounts with $500 each to help cover pre-existing costs that a new, unfunded account wouldn’t be prepared for.

Commissioner Mike Webster says the combining of the employee populations of the previous three options not only makes it fair in terms of employees receiving ARPA HSA funds, but gives the county more leverage in future talk with health care providers on any potential rate changes.

Commission chair Carl Ruth says the plan chosen will also better fund employee healthcare needs when compared to the previous plans available.

Commissioners wanted to approve the matter ahead of this year’s open enrollment period in order for the changes to take effect on January 1st.