Controversial contract revisited

At its November 15 meeting, the Waseca County Board of Commissioners revisited the controversial matter of the county’s contract with Blue Plus, an agency which coordinates care and case management for elderly, disabled, and income qualified residents who receive medical assistance. Board chair Brad Krause was called upon to cast the deciding ballot in a vote that stood 2-2.  The controversy centered around the County’s relationship with South Country Health Alliance (SCHA), the county-based purchasing entity which until now has been the sole provider for those receiving medical assistance in Waseca County. At the November 1 meeting, the same vote failed 4-1, with those voting against utilizing the contract expressing their wish to leave that relationship unaltered. However, a Minnesota Supreme Court decision is requiring Waseca County to offer a second plan. County Administrator Michael Johnson pointed out that, since the state supreme court decision leaves the county no choice but to begin using a second plan, financial damage to SCHA is inevitable. Cooperating with Blue Plus and approving the contract means that the county will receive state reimbursement for work done by county staff on behalf of medical assistance recipients on the Blue Plus plan. Affirming the board’s previous rejection of the contract at this time would mean no access to this state-level funding, and it would be unlikely Blue Plus would be willing to re-contract with the county in the future. The contract does, however, include an exit clause.

The vote was repeated at the November 15 meeting out of concern that the November 1 action had been taken without sufficient information, according to Public Health Director Sarah Berry. A work session was held between the November 1 and 15 meetings to update commissioners about the contract and the county’s obligations and benefits, as well as the impact of their initial decision on elderly and disabled recipients of medical assistance. 

“I want our elderly and disabled residents to be able to call and hear familiar voices, and I want those voices to get paid for the work they’re doing regardless,” Commissioner DeAnne Malterer said. Commissioner Doug Christopherson said he’d sought advice from numerous sources: all had advised him to consider the status of the health plan members, and had argued it would be most beneficial to utilize the Blue Plus contract, thus preventing interruptions or barriers to receiving care. “We’re frustrated and we don’t like this, but if we didn’t do it then we’d be doing more harm than good,” he said. 

Commissioner Brian Harguth said he could see how accepting the contract would be better for the members of the health plans, but he still could not vote for it, calling working with Blue Plus “like feeding Goliath.” He expressed concerns that if the county opens the door to Blue Plus and a second health plan, more will come and SCHA will be pushed out entirely. “The door is already open,” Christopherson replied. “It’s just who’s going to get the money.” 

Commissioner Blair Nelson, who is on the SCHA board, voiced concerns about the financial health of the organization with Blue Plus entering the picture. If a county-based purchasing entity is not taking in enough revenue, it can make a “cash call” to their member counties to make up the difference. Nelson asked whether the obligations the county had to respond to a cash call might outweigh the financial reimbursements gained from contracting with Blue Plus.

A roll call vote was taken: Commissioners Malterer and Christopherson voted to utilize the contract, while Harguth and Nelson voted not to. Board chair Krause was last to vote, and after a long period of consideration weighed in in support of the contract, causing the motion to pass three to two. “Let’s move on,” he said shortly.

Chris Howard, representing the Ditch Authority, presented several matters. First, he requested and was authorized to set the interest rate paid by the ditch authority slightly higher than that specified by the federal reserve (FED) so that his office would be able to compete with private borrowing agencies for loans. A repayment plan for a project on County Ditch 20 was approved.

The Board of Commissioners passed a resolution to allow staff to apply for a Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) grant which would cover the full costs of repairing and improving a trail leading from Janesville to Lake Elysian.  The board also passed a resolution in support of a grant the City of Waseca is submitting for up to $500,000 to build a trail along the county fairgrounds.

A conditional use permit was approved for RPMN Solar Holdings to build a one-megawatt solar farm north of Waseca.

Scott Roemhildt, the DNR’s South Region Director, visited to introduce himself to board members and invite them to reach out with questions or concerns.  “I don’t want the complexity of our organization to limit access,” he explained. Roemhildt serves 32 counties as South Region Director: He said visiting Waseca County’s leaders is special to him, since his family farmed here for five generations. Roemhildt introduced DNR staff members Brook Hocker and Benjamin Schaefer, who shared information about work the DNR does in Waseca County. This includes long-term monitoring of St. Olaf Lake as a ”sentinel lake,” updates to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) floodplain mapping, and payments to the school districts from the DNR’s School Trust Fund.