MINER -- The city of Miner will see only a slight increase in health insurance premiums beginning in August by accepting a higher deductible.
Options for health insurance were presented by Brian Self of Self Insurance, the city's agent, during the Miner Board of Alderman's regular monthly meeting Tuesday.
Renewing the current plan with Anthem, which included a $500 deductible for an individual and $1,500 for a family, would have resulted in a 9.9 percent increase, according to Self, for an annual premium of $142,934.
"Trend in healthcare is about 14 percent," he said. "In my world, 9.9 is a good renewal."
The city's last rate increase for health insurance was in September 2010, according to Self.
Board members instead agreed to accept an option offered by Anthem with an annual premium of $136,862 which increases the deductible to $1,500 for an individual and $4,500 for a family.
However, due to a change in coinsurance, the maximum out-of-pocket drops from $2,000 to $1,500 for an individual and goes up only $500 for a family to $4,500 from $4,000.
An increase in the out-of-network charges should not be an issue as nearly all healthcare providers in the area are in Anthem's network, according to Self.
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