By LEONARD GRAY

LAPLACE – Some onlookers at Tuesday’s St. John the Baptist Parish Council meeting were dumbfounded at their action in selecting a health insurance program for employees far beyond the government’s means to pay.

Parish President Nickie Monica agreed and, on Friday, he vetoed the action, and labeled it “fiscally irresponsible.”

Insurance Committee chairman Steve Lee declared to anyone within earshot he was surrendering that chairmanship. Lee’s committee, prior to the council meeting, met to discuss options offered by United Health Care and by Blue Cross. Other committee members include council members Allen St. Pierre, Melissa Faucheux, Ranney Wilson, Cleveland Farlough, finance director Jeff Clement and purchasing director Brenda Labat.

At the heart of discussions on health insurance were the amount of annual deductable to be paid by employees. United Health Care offered two alternate plans, one where employees paid a $500 annual deductable, or $1,000 per family; the other where employees paid no deductable. This is similar to The Oath’s plan, which filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, sending governments, school boards and sheriff’s office across the area scrambling for replacements.

Also on the table was a plan with Blue Cross-Louisiana, with no annual deductable for employees.

The Oath had an annual cost to the parish of $1.9 million. Blue Cross’s plan had an annual cost of $2.3 million. The United Health Care package recommended by the insurance committee cost $2.2 million.

What was selected at the climax of the regular council meeting, though, was the alternate United plan, which will cost the parish $2.9 million, at motion by Wolfe and seconded by Allen St. Pierre, passing by a 5-4 vote. Voting with Wolfe and St. Pierre were Melissa Faucheux, Cleveland Farlough and Lester Rainey.

“Our employees deserve the best,” Wolfe said, and added after the meeting of Monica, “He’ll veto it.”

Councilmen Duaine Duffy and Steve Lee, both insurance agents, opposed the plan suggested by Wolfe, and insisted it would mean cutbacks elsewhere in the budget, and likely layoffs.

This was confirmed by finance director Jeff Clement, who said parish services could suffer by the increase far beyond the budget.

Lee said St. John Parish is the only one of Louisiana’s 64 parishes to have such excellent insurance alternatives, and added, “Nobody treats their employees better,” while endorsing the first United option.

Also on the table was the Blue Cross-Louisiana plan. Local agent Natalie Tatje argued that plan offered “that happy medium” between their present plan and United Health Care’s offer.

The committee also unanimously approved a two-year renewal of their Sun-Life contract for life insurance and selected Standard Insurance for their dental plan. Both were ratified by the council.