More Porter County employees using health insurance

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Updated: January 22, 2012 7:47PM

VALPARAISO — The Porter County Board of Commissioners got an update Tuesday on the county’s employee health insurance plan.

Over the past four years, the plan has grown by an average of 30 employees, said Mike Anton, principal with Anton Insurance Agency. The plan had 606 employees in December.

For 2010-11 — the plan runs on a fiscal year — 5 percent of the participants accounted for 40 percent of the claims.

“That’s a pretty significant level of activity taking place,” he said, adding that so far in this fiscal year, 3.5 percent of the participants account for 43 percent of the claims.

The demographics of those in the plan, meanwhile, stayed the same as far as gender, age and whether participants were single or married, Anton said.

And while the county’s wellness plan could help lower insurance costs, only a fraction of those eligible are participating.

“We’re in a little bit of a cycle,” Anton said, adding about 28 percent of those in the insurance plan are taking part in the wellness program. “We need to be in the 50 to 60 percent range.”

In other business, commissioners approved an upgrade for wireless access at the Porter County Expo Center, at a cost of about $9,900.

The facility is equipped with wireless Internet access for vendors and events, but the system can’t handle the traffic with an increase in events and larger trade shows, said Brian Schafer, manager for the expo center and the fairground.

Northwestern Indiana Telephone Company, or NITCO, provides the service, and the upgrade will include access to a fiber optic line, as well as the necessary equipment, Schafer said.

The upgrade will provide better Internet access at the expo center and limited access at the fairground.

“It will be a huge improvement to what we have,” Schafer said.

Additionally, the commissioners approved hiring Mortensen CPA Group of Valparaiso on a consultant basis to handle bookkeeping at the expo center and Memorial Opera House, of which Schafer is executive producer and business director.

The cost will be $100 an hour, not to exceed $20,000.