NATCHEZ —Adams County Supervisors discussed Monday options for county employees’ health insurance.

Insurance agents representing several companies presented coverage proposals to the board.

The board will meet again on Wednesday with another local insurance agent for advice on the competing plans. A time has not yet been set for the meeting.

District 2 Supervisor David Carter said he wants to meet with an uninvolved local agent because he felt the board’s best decisions were made after seeking the advice of subject area experts.

“This is an area I’m not confident in making an opinion based on my own judgment,” Carter said.

County attorney Scott Slover said the board accepts proposals each year to arrange health insurance benefits for approximately 230 county employees.

The county spent $2 million on employee insurance on this year with a plan from United Healthcare — a 16-percent increase from the previous year.

Slover said costs to the county typically increase each year because premiums are based on the previous year’s claims.

Adams County Administrator Joe Murray said finding an insurance plan to suit everybody is almost impossible.

“Not everybody is going to go to the same doctor, not everyone wants to have surgery in Natchez, not every doctor is in the network and not every prescription is in the plan,” Murray said. “There are too many employees with too many needs for it to be 100-percent great for everybody.”

The board heard from agents presenting plans from United Healthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Humana and several supplemental and “gap” plans.

“If we can save money, we are going to do that,” District 1 Supervisor Mike Lazarus said. “But it has to be comparable to what we’ve got now or better. We don’t want to spend more than necessary, but we want to take care of people.”

The board also discussed moving to a millage system for garbage, which would do away with individual garbage collection fees. Instead, a tax would be added to pay for waste collection in the county.

Murray said 48 Mississippi counties are currently using a millage system, which allows them to guarantee garbage fee payment.

The county currently has little recourse to force residents to pay their garbage collection fees, Murray said, and withholding of county car tags has not been effective.

The tax will be less than the current $13 a month bill per house, Lazarus said.

“People doing right will come out good,” Lazarus said. “People not paying will be forced to pay.”