It's better than the plan provided to employees of Lucas County, state government, Toledo Public Schools, and DaimlerChrysler AG, a Blade survey shows.

“It doesn't get better than that,” said R.J. Rajner, a Toledo insurance agent, who attended one of the public budget hearings in the past two weeks to urge more aggressive cost-cutting by the city.

Paying for the medical treatment of nearly 3,000 city employees is expected to cost city taxpayers $18.3 million in 2007, up from $17.3 million in 2006, and $16.7 million in 2005.

In recent weeks, Toledo City Council has begun openly discussing approaching city employees about contributing a share toward their health care.

To set an example, council members have been asked by Council President Rob Ludeman to pay $25 every two weeks — $650 per year — toward their benefits. Just yesterday, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner told his staff they would have to step up and contribute to their coverage.

The show of self-sacrifice by the mayor and city council may have a political motive: on council's agenda for Tuesday is an ordinance to start charging Toledo households $6 a month for trash collection to help avoid an $11.9 million deficit this year, and a $17 million deficit in 2008.

Council has scheduled a committee-of-the-whole hearing for 2 p.m. Monday to consider amendments to the mayor's proposed $246.7 million budget, which is a 5.3 percent increase over the 2006 budget.

“When times were tough, there were things we didn't get and gave up to ensure that in the future we'd have a good health-care plan, and that's what we did,” said Don Czerniak, president of American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 7, which represents about 900 workers.

He said public employee wages tend to be lower than what can be earned in the private sector, but that is compensated for with good health and retirement benefits.

And he's frustrated that the Finkbeiner administration didn't come to the unions as soon as the extent of the deficit became apparent to come up with some solutions.

James Martin, president of Firefighters Local 92, said his members are willing to consider employee contributions to city health-care costs, but so far there's been no outreach by the mayor's office.

Toledo city government has been self-insured since 1993. It contracts with a health-care consultant to give advice, with a third-party administrator, Central Benefits, to handle billing, and with FrontPath Health Coalition to negotiate discount rates among local participating providers.

The most recent three-year contract with Local 7, which sets the pattern for the other bargaining units, was approved in 2005. It extracted more employee participation in health care through higher co-pays for doctor's office visits and emergency room visits. But they have yet to take effect because some unions are still bargaining.

City employes get full coverage of basic medical treatment and hospitalization. Some procedures are covered only 80 percent and require a deductible of $100 for an individual and $200 for a family.

County employees pay no annual contribution toward their own coverage but must pay $600 a year to include dependents, or $900 a year if their salary is greater than $75,000.

Employees split the cost of hospitalization 80-20 with the county, up to as much as $3,000 for family coverage under the county's self-insurance plan.

“The spouse co-payment that we have this year is a significant increase from what it was last year,” said David Mann, public affairs liaison for Lucas County.

Employees, retirees, and surviving spouses associated with DaimlerChrysler's North Assembly Plant, Supplier Park, and Toledo Machining also enjoy low-cost medical benefits.

The plan has zero premiums, and deductibles of only $150 for an individual and $300 for a family for services provided in the network, a company spokesman said. Employees in the preferred provider plan are expected to pay half the cost of their office visits and physical examinations, while those in the “standard care network” pay the full cost of discounted doctor visits and physical exams.

The riskiest option has no employee contribution but carries the potential of up to $1,700 in family out-of-pocket expenses yearly, with coverage for only 85 percent of procedures.

The district's health plan, not including dental, vision, and prescription drugs, is expected to cost taxpayers $30.8 million this year, for 3,809 participating employees.

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