CASSOPOLIS — Changes may be coming to the health insurance plans of county employees.

Thursday, the Cass County Board of Commissioners will vote on how to comply with Public Act 152, a 2011 act that requires that local units of government place a hard cap on their health care, institute an 80/20 cost sharing arrangement or opt out with two-thirds vote of the governing body. Currently, the county follows the 80/20 model, and is considering changing to the hard cap.

During Tuesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, the commissioners brought in representatives from Rose Street Advisors to discuss the county’s options and break down the costs of each plan.

“This is a confusing and complicated matter, so I want to make sure that everyone has all the information,” said Ben Cohen, employee benefits relationship manager for Rose Street Advisors. “I want to address any questions or concerns people have about the information or the decision that has to be made.”

The main difference between the 80/20 model and the hard cap is that the hard cap sets a limit on the amount the county can spend per employee per year, and the 80/20 comes with an agreed upon split between the county and employees for insurance premiums.

If the county were to retain the 80/20 model for the 2018-2019 fiscal year, costs would go down $77,000. If the county were to move to the hard cap for the 2018-2019 fiscal year, costs would go down about $34,000, according to Cohen.

Cohen listed a number of benefits to the hard cap plan during his presentation, including having a set insurance coverage cost, which would be easier to budget. Additionally, under most plans, certain employees would see a savings under the hard cap model, though that would not apply to everyone.

“Literally, 50 percent of employees would come out positively in the hard cap and 50 percent would come out negatively based on where they are currently enrolled,” Cohen said. “To some employees, it is a no brainer. To others, not so much.”

Not everyone who was in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting was a fan of moving to a hard cap.

Both Probate Judge Susan Dobrich and Director of Cass County Friend of the Court Carol Bealor expressed concerns about moving to a hard cap.

“I don’t want to put all the risk on our employees and that’s what a hard cap does,” Dobrich said. “It’s not going to be an effective way to recruit people, and it’s unfair to the employees.”

Even if the county moves to a hard cap, Cohen said the county could switch back to an 80/20 model next year.

The board will vote on the matter during its regular meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday in the county building in Cassopolis.