Bath continues conversation on health plan

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BATH TOWNSHIP – The Bath Township Board of Trustees took another look at the transition process of its healthcare insurance coverage and a previous cemetery rental agreement during the Dec. 6 township meeting.

According to Bath Township Trustee President Steve Ross, the township is moving along with the transition of healthcare insurance for township employees and their families. However, he said he has one concern that rested with Jefferson Health Plan. The partially self-funded insurance program will be processing the township’s 2017 runout claims that are covered under their current healthcare plan with the Ohio Public Entity Consortium–Healthcare Cooperative. As of Jan. 1, 2018, all township employees and their insured dependents will be covered under a different healthcare plan.

“They (Jefferson Health Plan) claim that they have sent us a statement as to how much our share is going to be and what our projected claims are going to be until the end of 2017,” Ross said. “We need to pay that number somehow before Dec. 31.”

Ross said he had communicated twice with a representative of Jefferson Health Plan regarding the matter and with Attorney Paul-Michael La Fayette, who is representing the township and 39 other entities in litigations against OPEC-HC; Frank Harmon, the founder of OPEC-HC; and his Ohio Insurance Services Agency.

“My main concern is that we could have a catastrophic event between now and the end of the year that we would have to deal with, and Jefferson Health Plan does not seem to be very helpful at this point,” said Ross. “We have no communications with Frank Harmon and OPEC. They are dissolved as of Jan. 1, 2018.”

Yet, Ross assured those township employees attending the township meeting that everything was in place with the King Agency. The agency, which is based in Holland, Ohio, has provided the township with a new self-funded medical benefit plan in 2018 through the Southern Ohio Chamber Alliance. The township also hired TASC (Total Administrator Services Corporation) as a third-party administrator that will handle the healthcare transition process and the runout claims.

“Everything else seems to be just fine, except this situation with Jefferson Health Plan. That is our only hang up,” Ross said.

The Bath Township Board of Trustees will meet again in regular session 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 20. All township meetings are held at the township building, located at 1006 Yellow Springs-Fairfield Road.

By Linda Collins

For the Fairborn Herald

Linda Collins is a freelance writer for Greene County News.

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