At this morning’s Kootenai Elected Officials meeting, the topic of adding a new healthcare benefit was discussed. This healthcare benefit would become part of the compensation package for Kootenai Government’s employees, and elected officials.
A consultant with Alliant Health Benefits had been working with Kootenai since 2022 to help find a clinic option that would suit the needs of the county. After talks were put on hold in 2022, the consultant is now revisiting the topic with the county.
Alliant is presenting a healthcare model called a “near site clinic”. The name denoting that the clinic will be situated nearby Kootenai government buildings, and regularly staffed with primary care physicians as well as provide on-call medical attention.
Currently, Alliant is working with PMR Healthcare to conduct rudimentary cost analysis. This move is projecting a net savings for the county’s healthcare budget along with access to higher quality primary care physicians.
Kootenai County Commissioners voted unanimously to allow Alliant to continue doing due diligence, and it is expected that a more detailed presentation will be made to the County Commissioners around June before the county’s 2024-2025 budget is finalized.
It was stated during the meeting that this new benefit option helps Kootenai government build more competitive compensation packages that will help acquire and retain employees.
