Franklin Lakes March 14, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 7 Council agrees to delay health plan change by Frank J. McMahon The Franklin Lakes Council has delayed action on a resolution to change the health care plan for borough employees in order to provide more time for employees to analyze and compare the proposed Gateway BMED plan to their current state health benefit plan. The council expected to adopt resolutions at its last special/work session to terminate the borough’s participation in the state plan and approve an agreement with the Gateway BMED. About 15 employees from various borough departments attended the meeting, including representatives of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employee union and the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association. The employees voiced their concerns about the change and urged the council to delay any action until they could have their expert analyze and compare the plans. They also said they wanted to investigate the experience of other towns that have agreements with Gateway BMED. The employees pointed out that they are now contributing to the cost of their health care plan by state law, and that contribution will grow to 30 percent of the cost over the next few years. Any decision the council makes about the borough’s health care plan affects every employee in the town, they said. After almost an hour of discussion, which included an explanation of the reasons for changing the health care plan and the potential impact of the change, the council agreed to carry the resolution to its April 4 work session. During the discussion, Mayor Frank Bivona and Franklin Lakes Borough Administrator Gregory Hart explained to the employees that the council was considering the change because the Gateway BMED plan offers an opportunity for the borough to save approximately $95,000 a year (about $86,000 for the borough and $9,000 for the library) while maintaining the same benefits and employee contributions as the state benefit plan. Several of the employees pointed out that discrepancies between the two health care plans have been identified by the employees, and there is a concern that all the ramifications of changing to the Gateway BMED plan may not yet be known. They explained, for example, that they did not know until that meeting that CVS Caremark would provide prescription drugs under the Gateway BMED plan. Hart emphasized that the borough has received a guarantee that if anything in the Gateway BMED plan is not equal to or better than the state health care plan, the Gateway BMED plan would make up the difference. He also explained that the borough would be committed to the BMED plan for only one year, and could switch back to the state health benefit plan with no waiting period. One employee pointed out that, while both plans have a network of participating doctors, it is possible that a doctor who is in the state plan’s network would not be in the Gateway BMED network. That employee explained, for instance, that his pregnant wife’s current obstetrician/ gynecologist is not in the new plan’s network. As a result, he would have to pay 20 percent of that doctor’s medical charges, or his wife would have to change doctors. Hart confirmed that the cap on that out-of-pocket expense would be $2,000 for an individual and $5,000 for a family in the Gateway BMED plan. During the month of March, the Franklin Lakes Public Library will host a variety of programs for adults. These programs are free and do not require registration. Elder law attorney Dan Jurovic will present “Senior Scams and Elder Abuse” on March 15 at 1 p.m. A question and answer session will follow. Parents of tweens and teens (ages 10 through 20) are invited to “Step in or Step Aside” with Fern Weis of Your Family Matters on March 20 at 7 p.m. Weis will offer tips on when and how to intervene with a child’s challenges, Library hosts programs for adults and when to shift responsibility to the child. On March 27, Jamie Novak of HGTV and QVX will reveal her trademark, three-step system to organize and de-clutter. Novak, a home blogger for Martha Stewart’s “Whole Living,” will send the audience home with a plan and simple solutions for home organization. The program will begin at 7 p.m. Borst Landscape and Design will offer “Pruning Pointers to Make You Look Like a Pro” on March 29 at 7 p.m. The library is located at 470 DeKorte Drive.