Although the exact figures are not yet set, Adams County’s government learned this week it appears on track to save again on its health care costs this year.

Last year’s savings was approximately $320,000 less than what the county had budgeted.

The average claims cost per employee fell by approximately 20 percent. That’s a substantial savings.

That’s good news for county taxpayers, particularly if the county continues to sock away the savings into a rain day or contingency fund.

Part of the county’s success in lowering health care expenses was in the somewhat radical move of hiring their own nurse practitioner to provide front-line medical care for county employees.

For a community our size, it was a novel concept, but one that made a heck of a lot of sense.

We applaud the county for the success its out-of-the-box thinking has earned in savings.

We continue to hope and pray the city and county will discuss how working together on health care coverage could potentially benefit government employees and taxpayers alike.

Creating a larger pool of employees and thus making even more efficient use of the county’s nurse practitioner simply makes good common sense.