Chairman Zorc stated, “On behalf of the Indian River County School Board and staff, we welcomed a diverse group of 24 participants and attendees. Our School District and the County, are two of the largest employers in Indian River County, and both groups presented the “Do’s and Don’ts” and best practices in managing a cost efficient, self-funded health insurance plan. In having this workshop today, my vision and hope are that we have learned from each other cost saving tips and strategies. I personally see that the School District and County have one growing issue in common, and that is the fact that with limited revenues, as our cost of providing health insurance increases, our ability to give livable wages to our teachers, law enforcement officers, EMT/firefighters, and employees, diminishes. I value the input shared today on a complex issue from a panel filled with talented individuals. Now, we need to take what we learned today and see, if we can apply the practices in our own entities.”
Indian River County Commissioner, Joe Flescher, added “The Interlocal Government Workshop was a great opportunity to exchange ideas. We were able to discuss the Indian River County and the School District health care plans in an open environment. Our target will always be to obtain the best and most affordable health care plan for all county employees. It’s a challenging task for both private and public sector organizations across the county, but a substantive, open discussion of the issues facing the organizations is a good step toward success.”
“Today’s health insurance workshop was a good opportunity for sharing ideas between the County, the School District, and others in attendance, said Jason Brown, Indian River County Administrator. Each agency is dealing with rising healthcare costs, and we can potentially learn from each other’s efforts to address this challenging issue.”