Geary Community Hospital carries it’s group health insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas and they were recently informed that they are looking at 19 percent increase to it’s premium in the next fiscal year.

“Because of some significant loss experiences in our covered population of employee’s and dependents that our premium would go up 19 percent,” explained Hospital CEO Joe Stratton. “Nineteen percent equates to about $245,000 increase in premium for the year.”

Due to that increase Stratton said they are looking at alternatives at this point in time in terms of plans and plan coverage, because they can’t move forward with that type of increase.

“When you get that type of news you really have to start to turn over every rock that you can trying to figure out how to still provide the benefit and the sound benefit for all of the employee’s and their dependents, but also do what is a balance in the terms of the cost to the employee’s but especially the hospital system.”