By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
LITTLE VALLEY — Cattaraugus County lawmakers voted Wednesday to switch 651 county retirees’ health insurance to a customized Medicare advantage plan effective Dec. 31.
Retirees age 65 and older are currently required to enroll in Medicare, with the county’s self-insurance system serving as secondary insurance.
Those employees who retire with 20 years service before age 65 will continue to receive the county’s self-insurance benefits until they qualify for Medicare.
The vote was unanimous on the resolution submitted for immediate consideration to contract with Aetna Inc., for $329.34 a month per retiree. The county currently pays Independent Health $795 per month per retiree to administer the county’s self-funded insurance for services not available through Medicare.
County Administrator Kelly Reed read to legislators a brief statement and reviewed frequently asked questions about the new plan prior to the vote. She cited “inaccurate information disseminated by social media to current and retired Cattaraugus County employees regarding health insurance benefits.”
Reed told the Olean Star the county’s savings by making the switch to Aetna’s extended services plan would be in the millions. A conservative estimate, she said later, was $2.5 million.
Retirees are already required to be enrolled in the Medicare program at age 65. At that point, the county’s self insured will pay for expenses not covered by Medicare. Now, the Medicare Advantage plan by Aetna will fill that role.
CSEA Local 1000 president Sheri Ambuske posted on Facebook on Tuesday that legislators would vote Wednesday on a change to retirees’ health insurance that had not been negotiated with the union.
Ambuske, who attended the meeting with two other local union officials, said she was disappointed she was not allowed to speak to lawmakers about the issue.
“What I posted was very fair,” Ambuske insisted. “They didn’t follow proper protocol. They should have negotiated these insurance benefits. It has nothing to do with being the same or better. I never meant to upset retirees.”
Reed told legislators that the county’s legal team advised the change in benefits did not have to be negotiated. Meetings with county unions were held Sept. 24 and Oct. 1 to detail the benefit changes she described “as good or better.”
Reed said it includes extra benefits not currently provided including vision, dental, hearing aid allowance, home delivered meals after a hospital stay, enhanced home therapy visits, Lifeline, medical transportation, national network of fitness centers, one ID card for all benefits and a national network for retirees who move or are snowbirds.
Retirees with questions should call the county’s Human Resources office, Reed said. All employees and retirees were emailed the FAQ paper, a comparison of benefits and copays. New benefits include a routine vision exam and $250 allowance for lenses and frames and a $1,000 allowance for hearing aids.
The Human Resources staff and Aetna will be scheduling town hall meetings — including in-person, telephonic and virtual — to address questions and provide information on the changes. Aetna will also provide a telephone hotline call-in number during open enrollment specifically for county retirees to ask questions.
Reed said there was a very low percentage of cases where the new plan would not cover certain prescriptions or healthcare providers. In those cases, the county’s self-insurance program would be the backup insurance.
In addition, Reed encouraged active employees and retirees to contact Human Resources with any individual coverage questions.
County Legislature Chairman Andrew Burr, R-Gowanda thanked those involved in proposing the health insurance changes for retirees. He cited the better value to retirees and lower cost to taxpayers.
“It’s something that should be looked at regularly,” Burr said of the insurance that is as good or better at a better value for taxpayers. “It’s false,” that it should be a negotiated item,” he added.
Earlier, Reed liked the change to switching from Blue Cross-Blue Shield to Independent Health, which would not require negotiations with the union.
The county administrator said the resolution was submitted for immediate consideration because requests for insurance proposals were not submitted in time to meet the pre-file deadline for the Oct. 8 meeting. Because it was not pre-filed, committees did not have a chance to discuss the issue.
In other action, legislators approved a resolution to contract with a Washington, D.C. consulting firm for $12,500 a month.
The legislature’s leadership proposed to pay Atlas Crossing $150,000 through Sept. 30, 2026 for “professional consultant services for governmental affairs and strategic intelligence.”
County departments and agencies “depend on federal agencies for financial assistance, grant programs and policies and regulations,” the resolution states.
The county, according to the resolution, “is desirous of strengthening the interactions with these federal agencies to maximize the benefits for Cattaraugus County through consulting services.”
Legislators also approved a $1.2 million grant from the state Office For The Aging for unmet needs funding for the county Department of the Aging and Youth Services.
Another resolution approved Wednesday transfers four Olean properties to the Cattaraugus County Land Bank Corporation. They are: 316 Laurel Ave., 311 S. Third St., 330 N. 10th St., and 332 N. 10th St.
Legislators also congratulated Angelina Napoleon on her Top 10 finish at the 2025 World Athletic Championships. The Allegany native and North Carolina State student took ninth place in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase final in Tokyo on Sept. 17.
