How Plainfield Eliminated Deductibles, Cut Payroll Costs & Invested Savings Back Into Its Own People

Welcome to Relocalizing Health. In this episode, we shine a light on Plainfield, Indiana, a town just west of Indianapolis, where public sector employees like police officers, firefighters, and public works staff were once priced out of their own healthcare. Nate Thorne, assistant town manager, joins us to share how Plainfield broke free from years of rising premiums and shrinking paychecks, fundamentally transforming its approach to employee health benefits.Instead of accepting sky-high insurance costs as an inevitable “healthcare trend,” Plainfield’s leadership took courageous steps: moving to a self-insured health plan, forging a direct contract with their local hospital, and reimagining benefits so workers now pay zero deductibles and co-pays, with real dollars flowing back into their households. These savings built meaningful new programs like mental health support and childcare assistance, and Nate Thorne and his team are on a mission to show other cities and counties that there is a better way.Whether you manage a city, run HR for a school district, or just want a behind-the-scenes look at how local governments can invest in their people and communities, this episode brings you the story, the lessons, and the playbook, direct from a Rosie Award finalist, on how to take back control of your health plan and rethink what’s possible for your workforce.Timestamps:00:00 Challenges of municipal worker benefits04:21 Facing rising insurance costs07:24 Challenge of risk in public policy11:46 Implementing a Self-Insured Program16:10 Managing healthcare spending changes18:07 Cost-saving strategies for healthcare plans22:02 Creative funding for employee benefits26:18 Leadership and gradual progress advice28:52 Challenges in the public sector32:02 Managing retiree health benefits35:13 Employee survey results on premiums37:25 Annual employer gathering details40:11 Plainfield's health plan changesLearn More:RosettaFest 2026 - https://rosettafest.org/Health Rosetta - http://healthrosetta.org/Nautilus - https://www.nautilushealth.org/Kynexions - https://kynexions.com/ Dave Chase - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasedave/Podcast Website - https://relocalizinghealth.com/