Last week, Northampton County Council voted 5-4 to reject a $3.7 million contract with Integrity Health for a voluntary and exclusive employee health center that would charge no co-pays and is projected to save the county money. While this vote certainly puts this proposal on life support, it is still very much alive.
In November, Northampton County voters will Council District members.
In District 1, Democrat Kevin Lott, a Yes vote, is stepping down. Democrat Ken Kraft is running against Republican Bill Rowe. If Kraft is elected, which seems likely in a heavily Democratic district, he will vote for a health center. Republican Bill Rowe might support it as well. I have not discussed this issue with him.
In District 2, Democrat turned Republican Kerry Myers, a No vote, is stepping down, He will be succeeded by Democrat Kelly Keegan, who has no opposition. She is a Yes vote.
In District 3, Republican John Cusick, a Yes vote, is stepping down. He will be succeeded by either Democrat Jeffrey Warren, a Yes vote, or Casey Foreman, whose views are unknown. District 3 is more competitive than District 1, but leans Democratic.
In District 4, Tom Giovanni, a No vote, is running unopposed.
After November's election, it is likely that the health center will pick up one vote. That will turn a 5-4 vote against into a 5-4 vote in favor.
32 comments:
Begs the question, why did he push it now? After January he will have his hand-picked candidates on council and an easy victory. It's been suggested that he did it on purpose thinking if it passed great, but if it failed his candidates could use it as a campaign issue. See they are all posting on social media that they will support Mr. McClure and the health center. So was this about politics It has the aroma of Dertinger.
Bernie, I know you’re a supporter of this county employee health center but you have to understand this is a bad idea. County employees do not care if health insurance costs are skyrocketing, make up the money elsewhere in service fees, or raise property taxes. I don’t want to hear that this will effect citizens with fixed incomes when the cost of groceries have inflated to nearly 25 percent, and no organization ever bats an eye to petition against the food industry’s insatiable appetite for profit. County services are needed to run an efficient government and cutting benefits will undoubtedly create a bigger shortage in our workforce. Millennials and Gen Z are not subscribing to the old adage of giving an employer 25 years, but instead would rather hop around jobs with incremental pay raises simply to stay afloat in this crushing economy. That is the future of employment.
The health center is a lazy, half-baked idea by an executive whose term is coming to an end wants to give the appearance that he did everything is is power to help the county tax payers but it’s always the county employees that are left underpaid, overworked and obviously under appreciated by County Executives that want to exploit their labor for less.
What a waste of money for this idea. So many health care facilities throughout our area. This is supposed to save money. If you insist on this idea and want to try to save money by employees avoiding use of emergency rooms, have health center open the hours most PCPs and urgent cares are closed. The county will control the health center so that will influence care given. Makes me nervous. Kind of like the terrible care given prisoners by contract providers. Current providers have trouble coordinating patient care and now you are adding another place for more fragmentation of care. Lots of reasons to be nervous and I am sure there are more. When did government ever save money without giving less services?
Lori Fargo-Heffner needs to stop pretending and switch parties.
Lori Haffner votes with John Brown all the time. What gives ?
All this talk of Lori switching to become a Republican is nonsense. She’s nearly 70. She’s been a D her whole life. She likes pretending to be a big shot in the Dem Ladies group. She’s not going anywhere folks and plans to hold Lamont accountable at every turn.
Lori Vargo Heffner is already gone. Her Party affiliation is not relevant. D, R, I, it matters not. What matters is that she is almost always voting with John Brown’s Republicans on Council. This is certainly true on all of the recent high profile votes. Lori will continue to be a D, but she’ll be voting R mostly.
Lori Vargo should come to her senses and switch her vote at the next meeting.
If it passes in January, without her vote she’ll be toast. (If D’s win those seats and Tara loses, light a candle for Heckman. It’ll be non-stop abuse of him by Lori. She’ll bring alll the little tricks she’s learned as a Jersey head shrinker to bully him.)
"Begs the question, why did he push it now? After January he will have his hand-picked candidates on council and an easy victory. It's been suggested that he did it on purpose thinking if it passed great, but if it failed his candidates could use it as a campaign issue. See they are all posting on social media that they will support Mr. McClure and the health center. So was this about politics It has the aroma of Dertinger."
He did not push it just now, he's been pushing it all along. He did an RFP and Integrity Health was the winning proposal. Was he supposed to just sit on that for 6 months and hope the cost does not increase? I think he had an obligation to present it now. And i was predicting it would pass 6-3 or even 7-2. Lott and Zrinski were always yes votes. Cusick had decoded to support so long as there was an RFP. Then Heckman announced his support. Myers started acting like he supported it, and Giovanni was on the committee that recommended it. And Heffner, who claims to be a Democrat, should want to support something that helps employees at a time when the party is being called elitist.
Myers' No vote was simply a desire to get back at McClure for getting him tossed off the ballot. He had promised to get even, and this was how. Hes vote proves that everything I said about his is correct.
Heffner claim she was very insulted by the proposal bc she is a health care provider herself. She must be aware that costs are skyrocketing, so I'm not buying her opposition. She may have deluded herself into thinking she voted her conscience but I think her No vote has been tainted by numerous unnecessary attacks that McClure and his allies have unleashed on her. She's been attacked by Kelly Keegan on social media and by Tara Zrinski at some women's function. She's been called by unions. At the same time, she has expressed a desire to run for Exec, and does not want to give McClure a campaign issue upon which to run.
I don't see how this failure gives candidates a campaign issue. A voluntary and exclusive health center is a very complex issue. At first blush, I think most members of the public would consider it yet another government handout to its workers while they suffer. And I could hear the Republicans accuse the county of expanding into health. It would actually be a poor issue on which to run because it's impossible to sum it up in a sound bite.
"Bernie, I know you’re a supporter of this county employee health center but you have to understand this is a bad idea. County employees do not care if health insurance costs are skyrocketing, make up the money elsewhere in service fees, or raise property taxes. I don’t want to hear that this will effect citizens with fixed incomes when the cost of groceries have inflated to nearly 25 percent, and no organization ever bats an eye to petition against the food industry’s insatiable appetite for profit. "
McClure proposed this idea a year ago. Even now, he is only 1 1/2 years into his term. He has 2 1/2 years to go. Like the daycare, a voluntary and exclusive emplyee health center would be an added perk to employees. It would make them more inclined to stay with the county. Most county employees outside of the jail and Gracedale are long-term, even the millennials and GenX. They tend to stay precisely bc those medical benefits are really good. Yes, they need better wages, and I have regularly told McClure he is too cheap.
As you point out, our food costs have gone up. But that's nothing compared to healthcare costs. McClure has no power to tell grocers what to charge. But the county does have control over healthcare. Before raising taxes or cutting benefits, he is proposing a health center that will cut costs. Why not give that a chance?
"All this talk of Lori switching to become a Republican is nonsense. She’s nearly 70"
She is a Democrat and is closer to 40 than 70. But she is voting with the far-right Rs pretty consistently of late. I believe her judgment has been clouded by her animus for McClure. That is partially Lamont's fault for unleashing his hounds of hell on her. But she herself has expressed a desire to primary McClure and seems to thrown up roadblocks to nearly everything McClure wants done.
"What a waste of money for this idea. So many health care facilities throughout our area."
Yes and those many healthcare centers charge outrageous fees. Goffredo himself noted our health care system is broken. yet at the same time he argues that we should just keep going to places that charge outrageous fees to be paid by employees and county taxpayers. The employee health center is an attempt to reduce the cost.
"Lori Vargo Heffner is already gone. Her Party affiliation is not relevant. D, R, I, it matters not. What matters is that she is almost always voting with John Brown’s Republicans on Council. This is certainly true on all of the recent high profile votes. Lori will continue to be a D, but she’ll be voting R mostly."
if the daycare vote came up now, I bet she and Myers would both be No votes.
Bernie because we’re not fooled by this proposed health center that will ultimately turn into our ONLY source for primary medical treatment. I want to have the ability to choose my own primary care physician for my specific medical needs. I don’t want to see a burned-out physician on a mobile bus who will miss a diagnosis because he has to funnel through patients. You say it ain’t can’t happen, but we all know that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
Lori is 64 years young
" I don’t want to see a burned-out physician on a mobile bus who will miss a diagnosis because he has to funnel through patients. You say it ain’t can’t happen, but we all know that’s exactly what’s going to happen."
As I understand, this health center will stop being cost effective once it becomes mandatory. So no, it can't and won't happen.
"Lori is 64 years young"
I fail to understand what her age has to do with anything, but she looks closer to 40. I have to wonder if you'd be discussing her age if she were a he.
As an outsider (non govt/medical/political/employee of NC) I have a hard time seeing this as a benefit.
Everyone notes that it is a money saver, but there is no mandatory requirement that this facility must be used (as opposed to the current provider), so how can savings be calculated?
Unless there is a "in network/out of network" benefit? Meaning that the use of in network (this health care center) provides a financial benefit to the employees, vs out of network costs?
Also, we see that GOVT in healthcare does not equate to better savings or care, and I agree with an above commenter, that the employees themselves will not go out of their way to save the County money.
Lastly, I also do not agree on putting a childcare center in Gracedale. What was the percentage of employees who benefit vs those who do not? What about the liability? Then there are the "have and have nots" who will argue about why GD gets things while other County owned facilities do not. It is another mess IMHO. If the wage is increased, as opposed to adding employee specific benefits, then the facility will be properly staffed and can fill the beds. And other NC low staffed areas can be filled.
I also know by making the statement, that I am pretty much advocating for a tax increase to cover this ( which no one, including me, wants), and that is where the politicians have to walk a fine line. But maybe by hiring more "qualified" employees, some of the dead wood can be trimmed.
Same with public education, but that is a whole different topic.
Government is TOO BIG as it is.
Bernie O’Hare (9:14 am) said: Why not give that (the health center) a chance?”
Uh, the proposal was for a five-year contract.
Council was right to reject it.
Why not do a one-year proposal and show us all the savings we’ll be getting?
Just spent a couple hundred dollars at the Dr plus copay and blood work if we had a health center is would be zero but instead I shelled out a quarter of my monthly pay, just saying
Vote independently and you'll be savaged. The old adage in politics is certainly true that those in the middle of the road get hit. Yass yass, but, but, far right, far left.... blah blah blah. That's exactly the point.
Bernie O’Hare (9:25 am) said “ Goffredo himself noted our health care system is broken.”
How could our health care system be broken? Didn’t Obama and the democrats fix it back in 2010?
Why not just put all the employees out on the exchange, so they could enjoy their democrat-designed health plan alike the rest of us? I’m sure it needs EVERYONE participating to realize the huge saving THAT was supposed to give us.
I have no problem with county employees having to use the same publicly available health facilities that my family has access to.
Why should the employees have it better on taxpayer dollars than the rest of us!!!!
Unfortunately health care is expensive and I have to agree that counties can no longer give the premier health care plans on the backs of the taxpayers. In the old days it was great but these are no longer the good old days. The other benefits are pretty significant compared to the private sector. Such as time off.Awaiting the salary study results.
That's because you're spending your time whining and complaining. Get back to work and be grateful that we taxpayers are providing you employment.
Amen!!!
I feel the need to add my two cents, especially considering the whining that is happening on this thread. Public sector employees are, in large part, paid much less than those in the private sector. Giving a “premier” health plan may, for many, be far more important than salary. I sure would take a lower salary for a good benefits package. For those whining, if you want change, attend meetings, talk to your elected officials, vote, run for office, etc. Blathering on endlessly on a blog won’t bring about change.
Bravo!!
Blogger's Note: I received this anonymous comment. I was unable to publish as is because there was a huge gap between the two paragraphs. So I shortened the gap. Ordinarily, decline to publish comments that contain huge gaps.
Many construction jobs no longer pay well because contractors are hiring workers who entered t country either on a boat or by slipping under a barrier on the U.S./Mexico border. To make it more insulting most of these workers speak on English and probably live in Section eight housing.
Most non-union contractors are employing workers who entered this country either or a boat or by slipping under the barriers at the U.S./Mexico border. Most of them are making peanuts. To add insult most of these non-union workers are most likely living in section eight housing. When Lafayette College built their last new dorm anybody passing thru the area would have thought that they were constructing a new United Nations as the workers spoke anything but English. Keep this trash from working on government projects.
There's a tab bit of xenophobia and classism in this comment. I spoke with a nonunion contractor today who told me most of these guys are actually US citizens and were born here.
Privacy going to doctor of my choice. Don’t want to see my coworkers there aside me. Sorry
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