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Health insurance plans changed by state commission

The Romney-appointed majority on the state's Group Insurance Commission (GIC) has recently voted to implement substantive health care plan design changes (effective July 1, 2004) for those active and retired public employees insured through the GIC's health insurance plans.

MUNICIPAL PARTICIPANTS IN THE GIC's RMT PLAN The following 75 cities, towns and regional school districts participate in the GIC's Retired Municipal Teacher (RMT) benefit program: Amesbury Andover Amherst Amherst-Pelham Regional SD Barnstable Berkshire Hills Reg. SD Berlin-Boylston Reg.  SD Billerica Blackstone Valley Regional SD Blue Hills Regional SD Braintree Bridgewater Bourne Cohasset Dedham Dennis Eastham Everett Franklin Gill-Montague Reg. SD Gloucester Granby Gtr. Lawrence Reg. SD Narragansett Reg. SD Harvard Hampden-Wilbraham Reg. SD Hingham Holbrook Holyoke Hudson Lawrence Martha's Vineyard Reg. SD Medford Millis Milton Monson Montague Newbury North Adams North Andover North Attleboro N. Middlesex Reg. SD Norwell Orange Pelham Pioneer Valley Reg. SD Plainville Quabbin Reg. SD Randolph Rehoboth Revere Rockland Rockport Rutland Salisbury Salem Saugus Shawsheen Valley Regional SD Spencer Spencer-E. Brookfield Reg.  SD Stoneham Stoughton Upper Cape Cod Reg. SD Ware Wareham Watertown Westfield West Bridgewater West Springfield Weymouth Whitman-Hanson SD Winthrop Wilbraham Paxton Woburn

Those changes will affect all active and retired state employees including 11,500 MTA members who are employed in public higher education and 10,000 retired K-12 teachers enrolled in the GIC's Retired Municipal Teachers (RMT) health insurance plans.

(NOTE: Cities, towns and school districts participating in the RMT program are listed at right.)

The changes being made are serious and enrollees are encouraged to carefully examine the modifications being made before choosing one's health care option. State employees and affected K-12 retirees will be able to obtain information about these design changes during the open enrollment "health fair" information sessions about to be conducted by the GIC and being held at various locations from April 12 - May 14, 2004. K-12 teacher retirees insured through the GIC RMT plan and state retirees are also receiving information by mail from the GIC.

Selections for coverage must be made by everyone affected by May 14, 2004, otherwise the GIC will assign a health care plan for them. Further information (including "health fair" locations and dates) is best obtained from the GIC Web site at www.state.ma.us/gic/. The GIC's phone number is (617) 727-2310.

(NOTE: The GIC site is somewhat difficult to follow so be sure to read it carefully and click on the appropriate links to obtain the information you need.)

The MTA is very disturbed by the changes being instituted by the GIC in which employees have no meaningful participation as far as final decisions are concerned. Only three of the Commission's 11 members represent employees and they are continually outvoted by the Romney appointed majority. The three labor representatives opposed the changes being made but were outvoted 6-to-4.

In an effort to bring a semblance of balance to the GIC, the MTA has filed legislation to change the membership on the GIC by adding additional labor representatives including MTA. That bill, SB904 (filed by State Senator Charles Shannon, D-Winchester) received a favorable report from the Legislature's Committee on Insurance on March 18, 2004, and is currently before Senate Ways and Means. Calls and e-mails to legislators asking their support of SB904 would be very helpful.

As more information is developed it will be shared with MTA leaders and affected members.