MASSENA – The trustees of the village of Massena have signed an amendment to health insurance coverage for village employees, retirees and eligible dependents that will save both the village and individuals money.
Trustee Francis J. Carvel, a village retiree, abstained, and trustee Christine M. Winston was pardoned.
Effective January 1, the Village will be terminating existing health coverage through the Excellus SimplyBlue Plus Platinum 2 plan and offering health coverage through the Excellus Bronze 4 PPO plan to active employees and their eligible dependents, as well as non-Medicare retirees and their beneficiaries relatives.
As part of the change, the village will provide a health reimbursement agreement covering 100% of the deductible for each employee and their dependents, and will continue to offer health coverage through the Medicare Advantage Plan with United Healthcare to all Medicare-eligible members and their eligible dependents.
“Medicare-eligible retirees see no change. That’s a key detail. The plans of retirees who are currently Medicare-eligible remain the same,” said Deputy Mayor Matthew J. LeBire.
Under the village’s current plan, there are no deductibles for individuals or families. The village pays $3,025,454 in annual bonuses for 119 employees.
Under the Excellus Bronze 4 PPO plan, presented to trustees by Zachary Zuckerman last month, employees would see a $7,500 deductible for singles and a $15,000 deductible for families, both of which would be paid by the village. The village would pay $1,738,641 in annual premiums, down 42.5%, according to literature provided by Mr. Zuckerman, vice president of USI Insurance Services.
Mr. LeBire proposed an amendment to the plan, which was approved by the Trustees.
“Number three, health insurance coverage for every employee and their dependents, should there be a notation as defined in collective bargaining agreements or the employee handbook if there is no CBA (collective bargaining agreement) language? All I know is that over the course of eight years, such a simple word has a multitude of meanings,” he said.
Mayor Gregory M. Paquin said they considered certain criteria when deciding to make the move. Among them, he said, it benefits both taxpayers and workers, as paying a percentage of the cost reduces their contribution.
He said they have scheduled meetings to explain the change to staff, retirees and loved ones in addition to the meetings he has already held.
“We have tentatively scheduled two days of staff training, November 3rd and 4th, spread out throughout the day,” said Mr. Paquin.
These are held at the Fire Department, Public Works Department and Police Station.
“We’ll make sure we have a letter to send out to everyone on this,” Mr Paquin said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to meet with the groups to discuss this. Nobody likes change. I won’t say they sat there and gave me high fives with all their might.”
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