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By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
MARGATE – At a special meeting held Monday, Oct. 2, the Board of Commissioners held a closed session to discuss the possibility of switching health care providers.
The executive session resolution called for the board to discuss employment contracts, according to the city clerk.
After the closed session, attorney John Scott Abbott provided comments about the discussion, stating the board heard a presentation from insurance broker Brown & Brown about the city’s medical insurance coverage.
“No decisions were made, and the board will continue to study and examine possible enhancements to our medical coverage,” Abbott said.
He said costs are rising not only for Margate, but for other municipalities as well.
On Sept. 7, Chief Financial Officer Lisa McLaughlin recommended the board investigate other options than its current enrollment in the NJ State Health Benefits Program. Open enrollment, which provides the city with the opportunity to switch providers based on current collective bargaining agreements, occurs in October, and the city should start an investigation to see if it could mitigate the increase in premiums, she said.
McLaughlin reported that the state program is proposing a 7.7% increase this year.
“It’s substantially lower than the 22% they gave us last year,” she said.
McLaughlin said she would ask the state to provide the city with a breakdown of insurance claims.
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