County administrator insists Medicare Advantage will be ‘as good or better’ than retirees’ existing coverage

By RICK MILLER

Olean Star

LITTLE VALLEY — Cattaraugus County’s proposal to change the health insurance benefits for about 650 retirees is designed to be as good or better than existing coverage, the top county official said today.

County Administrator Kelly Reed’s statement was in response to a social media posting from the local CSEA union president who challenged imposing a change that should have been handled through collective bargaining and for not referring it to committees.

Reed said the county’s legal team did not believe the change in retirees’ health insurance needed to be negotiated as CSEA Local 1000 President Sheri Ambuske told the Olean Star on Tuesday. Ambuske said the union was prepared to sue over the issue.

“We’re not taking anyone’s benefits,” said Reed, adding the new plan by Etna “offers the same or better benefits.” The county is putting together a frequently asked questions email to employees and retirees, Reed said. It won’t be released until after the county legislators vote on it later today (Wednesday).

Reed said the change did not go through committees because a delay in offers from vendors resulted in missing a prefiled deadline. 

The county last met with unions on Oct. 1, when the decision to proceed with a Medicare Advantage program as retirees’ secondary provider to Medicare, Reed said.

The county administrator said a dedicated help line would be set up to help retirees. “We want to make this as seamless as possible,”  she added. 

What is the reason for the change???

Reed said, “There is a substantial — in the millions — savings for the county.

Ambuske said the county told union representatives that the annual savings would be about $2.5 million.

Reed said that retirees would continue to pay their monthly share. “Retirees will see no change in their premiums. The county’s portion of the premiums will go down,” she explained. 

Ambuske said her intent was to point out that the county planned to make the change by immediate consideration, not that the coverage was good or bad or premiums.

The county legislature meets today at 5 p.m. in the James J. Snyder Legislative Chambers on the third floor of the County Center.