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Village faces higher health care expenses
By JIM AUSTIN
Cooperstown Crier
The board of trustees spent almost two hours
Monday morning looking at health care benefit options
for employees and trying to figure out how to
handle escalating costs.
Ralph Morse, President of Kaatirondack Benefit
Planning Incorporated in West Oneonta, explained
that the village will have to switch from an ``experience-
rated’’ to ``community-rated’’ insurance plan.
The change means the village will no longer be able
to negotiate rates or receive renewal concessions and
will likely result in higher cost.
According to Morse, CDPHP, the village’s current
insurance carrier, said if it had been able to continue
to experience rate the village, the renewal increase
for 2010 would have been almost 25 percent over this
year. The coverage for Medicare-eligible retirees
would have risen 94 percent.
``While no rate increases are ever welcomed, alternative
programs available that are closely
matched to the village’s current plan represent a
hefty increase over current program costs,’’ Morse
said.
The board must make a decision on a new health
care plan by the end of the month because
the health plans run on the
calendar year and not the village’s
fiscal year.
Before a decision is made, however,
Trustee Neil Weiller said it is crucial
to know exactly what the village’s
cost will be.
``These [plans] are going up tremendous
amounts’’ he said.
Last year, according to Village
Treasurer Mary Ann Henderson, the village paid
CDPHP almost $230,000 for employee health benefits.
The six plans currently under review by the village
board come with increased costs ranging from
3.8 percent to 26.9 percent depending on the level of
coverage provided.
Deputy Mayor Jeff Katz said it will be important
to try to determine where employees could be hurt
by changes to the co-pay and deductibles with the
new plan selected by the village.
Weiller said it may be possible to select a lower
cost plan with the understanding the village would
reimburse employees for
increased deductible and
co-pay amounts.
The village currently
reimburses employees the
$500 deductible for in-patient
hospital stays, according
to Henderson.
The provision was put
into the employee handbook
a few years ago when
the village opted to save
money on health care cost
by choosing a plan with a
higher deductible.
Trustee Joe Booan said
switching to higher deductibles
and co-payments
would save the village
some money and by changing
the policies and procedures
to provide reimbursement
for some
out-of-pocket expenses
would ``take the sting out’’
for employees.
Weiller also commented
that 2010 may the year to
review the amount of
health care costs paid by
individual employees.
Right now, employees
hired before 1992 do not
contribute to their health
care. Employees hired after
that date make contributions
based on a sliding
scale tied to their longevity
with the village.
Henderson is currently
compiling additional information
for the trustees
who will meet again Monday,
Dec. 14 to complete
their review of the insurance
plans.
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