At last night's meeting of Northampton County Council, Executive Lamont McClure once again discussed his favorite topic - Teladoc. While health care costs constantly increase, Teladoc actually saves the county money.
Teladoc is a mobile app that enables county employees to seek medical care through their phones, iPads and computers.
McClure reports that, in January, the County saved $66,176, its best month ever in the 21 months the County has been using it. "Forty-two percent of those using Teladoc would have gone either to the emergency room - have you got an emergency room bill lately? - or an urgent care," he said. "Think about that. If these trends continue, it will offset some of our healthcare increases."
In the 21 months the County has been using Teladoc, it has saved $857,186. The program cost the County $94,273, for a net savings of $762,912.
"This small change is making a big difference for us," he concluded.
4 comments:
Anytime the County claims they are saving money, they are obviously cutting back somewhere else. How bad did they cut benefits to their employees or retirees? are the employees paying higher premiums and getting less service? are the co-pays higher? something doesn't mesh here. cost of services are going up all over the country and Northampton County is saving money? C'mon, if you believe that, I have a toll bridge I want to sell you in Freemansburg.
His biggest problem now is trust. He comes across as a slick lawyer. Some employees and many retirees have said they feel abandoned by his policies. They feel forced onto uncomfortable decisions on healthcare.
Actually, the real cost of employee healthcare has significantly increased under the plan McClure's administration put in place. His claims of saving money are a bogus attempt to divert Council and the public from the real numbers.
12:50, The health benefits at the county are much better now than they were under Brown. McClure felt that was very important. Employees do wish they were paid more. Pay is very low, but at least the health benefits are once again fairly good.
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