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21 <br /> • Implement a$200 per month surcharge to the employee contribution for spousal coverage <br /> when spouse has health insurance coverage with their employer. <br /> • Currently, 144 spouses are enrolled in the County's health plan. Staff from the North <br /> Carolina Health Insurance Pool (NCHIP) estimate that 20% of spouses or approximately <br /> 29 spouses would choose to remain on the County plans despite having alternative <br /> coverage. <br /> • If those employees were charged an extra $200 to maintain spousal coverage, direct <br /> revenue to the plan would increase by $70,000. <br /> Below is a chart showing the estimated direct financial impact: <br /> Spousal Surcharge Modelin <br /> Current Covered Spouses 144 <br /> Estimated % w Other Coverage 20% <br /> Monthly Surcharge Amount $200 <br /> Estimated Spouses Impacted 29 <br /> Estimated Surcharge Revenue $69,120 <br /> Surcharge Revenue Offset $69,120 <br /> • The spousal surcharge may also have an indirect savings to the plan by discouraging <br /> migration to the County's plan from coverage available to the spouse of a County <br /> employee. The County currently contributes an additional $600 per month to move <br /> from an employee only plan to an employee plus spouse plan and an additional $800 <br /> per month to move from an employee plus children plan to a full family plan. <br /> Discouraging migration to the County plan has the potential to save the additional <br /> County premium contribution associated with coverage a spouse as well as the <br /> additional cost of claims incurred by the spouse. Predicting the claims savings is <br /> difficult without direct experience. <br /> Dental Insurance <br /> The County provides dental coverage for active employees. No rate increase is recommended <br /> for FY 2026-27. <br /> Brenda Bartholomew, Human Resources Director, reviewed the background information <br /> for the item. She made the following presentation: <br />