KCHA saves on insurance plan

Previous plan was limiting providers

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

By JOHN R. PULLIAM

of The Register-Mail

GALESBURG - The Knox County Housing Authority will save about $40,000 on health insurance for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The KCHA Board on Tuesday awarded the contract for employees' health insurance to the Grant Bullis Agency.

The new coverage will begin July 1. KCHA Executive Director Don Tomlin said the amount charged by Grant Bullis will be about 25 percent less than the insurance offered by the Local Government Health Plan.

"It's been OK," Tomlin said of the Local Government Health Plan. "Last year they threatened to drop a lot of the providers in this area. ... In the past it suffered from some severe management mistakes."

Tomlin also said that "last year the governor raided several millions of dollars from the account."

OSF was the HMO offered by the current provider and also is the HMO for the Grant Bullis coverage.

"OSF has a major presence here and hopefully a strong interest in maintaining our business," Tomlin said.

In other business, the Knox County YMCA will provide the summer day camp activities this year for children living in Knox County Housing Authority residences. The Y is already offering the housing authority's after-school program.

"I don't have any reservations about this," Tomlin said.

The Y will charge $24,481 for the program, which is expected to attract 75-100 children.

The children will be offered swimming and water safety, a trip to the Y's Camp Abe Lincoln, near Davenport, Iowa, and a visit to Naibi Zoo. The six-week program meets four times a week. The camp is June 13 through Aug. 5, with no camp the week of July 4-8.