Area health insurance consortium plan shelved

By CRAIG FOX

Finger Lakes Times





CANANDAIGUA — Although plans to create a regional health insurance consortium did not work out this year, the group looking into the idea has not given up.



In what would have been the first of its kind in the state, Ontario County officials hoped to create a community health insurance plan for employees of several area municipalities.



However, the task force working on the project recently determined the costs would remain about the same as what municipalities are already paying.



Seneca, Yates and Livingston counties, the cities of Geneva and Canandaigua and the towns of Farmington and Victor were all set to sign on.



“It really didn’t make sense to make the change,” said Ontario County Director of Human Resources John Garvey, who spearheaded the idea.



Requests for proposals were sent out to six health insurance providers — Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, GHI HMO, Preferred Care and Health-Now.



Only Excellus and Preferred Care responded, and their proposals would have cost more than had been anticipated, Garvey said.



Under their proposals and some subsequent negotiations, it would have cost the municipalities about 12 percent more than what they are paying this year to provide employee health coverage — about the same as it would have cost them under the current plan, Garvey said.



It’s costing Ontario County about $4 million for health insurance this year, he said.



Although it didn’t work out for the coming budget year, the group hasn’t given up on a health insurance consortium, Garvey said.



“This issue will come up again,” he said, adding that he wanted to credit the municipalities’ civil service employee associations for their cooperation during the study.



The proposal was patterned after a health insurance consortium of 47 school districts in the Finger Lakes and Rochester areas, but it would have been the first time counties put together such a group.



It was hoped that costs would be reduced by having a larger number of employees from different counties and municipalities under one plan.



Farmington Supervisor Ted Fafinski, chairman of the board’s Personnel Committee, said he hopes the idea works out for 2007, adding the group will reconvene in the coming year to study the issue again.



“Don’t be discouraged,” Victor Supervisor Jack Richter told Garvey. “You got a look at it, we gave a look at it and we will again.”