Macon County, Tennessee, Offers Benefits to Employees

Macon County, Tennessee, has long been one of the few remaining counties in Tennessee that did not offer a benefits package to its many non-professional, unelected employees. In recent years there has been an increased push by these workers to see the kind of benefits that those outside of the public service sector take for granted. One of the main benefits that they were hoping to see was medical insurance. While medical insurance is a benefit that is taken for granted for many, for those lacking this critical coverage it is a constant source of worry and frustration.

Macon County, however, recently announced that it was going to begin offering medical insurance coverage to it's employees in the non-professional unelected positions, which include workers for the county clerks, deputies, teacher's aides, school bus garage positions, highway department and Sheriff's department employees. One can only imagine the relief that must have been felt by the 300 plus county employees that this announcement affected.

Last week over half of the employees had signed on to the new benefit plan. This response spoke louder than words could in saying that this was a plan that was long overdue and well received. The health insurance that is being offered to them is the Blue Cross Blue Shield Plan of Tennessee. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Plan is one that is widely recognized and respected throughout the area, dismissing the idea that many had put forth that if the county did begin to offer a plan to it's employees that it would likely be one that was not widely accepted or very beneficial to the employees since that type of plan would likely be cheaper to initiate.

One of the employee's of the Macon County Sheriff's Department had this to say about the new plan, "We were all really glad to see the county finally offer medical insurance for us and our families. It has been really frustrating to see the people we protect every day offered benefits by local businesses that we had no access to for our families, and at the time felt like we had no hope of getting. I mean, one expects that the people that protect and serve our county at least would have basic medical, but until now that just had not been the case. So, we are all really relieved to say the least."

A person has to wonder why it took the county so long to offer at least some type of medical insurance to its employees. But, speaking for the employees and their families, while these benefits have been a long time coming, they are certainly appreciated now.