[0:00] is we're looking at exceptional unprecedented rises in

[0:06] health insurance costs across the nation and that affects us here in the town of

[0:11] Belmont as well. And what we need to take a look at as a town is what what's

[0:16] going to be a sustainable response to these rising insurance costs? Is it

[0:20] going to be just increasing people's premiums at a 24% rate or double digit

[0:26] um increases or could we do something else? and the select board and and the

[0:31] town decided to do something else which was to try to find some additional

[0:36] stability um by joining a larger risk pool. So that's sort of the image that

[0:41] we have here on the screen. So the GIC includes 13 member cities across the

[0:46] state of Massachusetts. So all the employees from those 13 cities and 34

[0:52] member towns as well. So all those employees as well and then every state

[0:57] employee. So there's a lot more people in this risk pool contributing to it

[1:02] than what we have here in the town of Belmont. And what we hope that would

[1:06] mean is that the health care costs become a little bit more sustainable

[1:11] over time. Also, what the GIC presents to all of us is greater choice and

[1:16] greater flexibility. So with more plan options comes greater flexibility to

[1:20] meet the needs of individual employees because your health care needs might be

[1:25] different than your healthare needs. it might be different than the healthare

[1:29] needs of the people in the back of the room. So different plans might work

[1:32] differently for different folks. Um so to have that choice and that option is

[1:37] different than what it is that we have now, which is pretty much just offering

[1:40] two plans. Um and then the last point that I put up

[1:44] here is that it is administered by the state. So that that adds to the

[1:49] bargaining power of the large group when we're negotiating these rates with the

[1:53] insurance companies. And then also they're going to be largely

[1:56] administering the plans and the administrative work. That's not to say

[2:01] that Carrie, myself, and Esma are doing a bad job administering your plans now.

[2:05] We think we're doing okay. Um we could always be doing better, but we're going

[2:08] to have some additional help there as well.

[2:15] So these are some of the key dates um that we want to talk about. Um so in

[2:20] September, we're hosting these information sessions. This is the first

[2:24] of several information sessions that we are hosting. Um, and the purpose of

[2:28] these is to just introduce you to this transition and to go over some of the

[2:32] key information at sort of a 30,000 foot view of what it is that you can come to

[2:37] expect. So, we're going to be having these information sessions over the

[2:40] course of the entire month of September. If you think it beneficial and you want

[2:44] to come to multiple, you can definitely come to multiple. You can come to one in

[2:48] person, you could come to several on Zoom. It'll be the same presentation,

[2:52] but perhaps there'll be different questions. Um, but as we get updates

[2:55] along the way, we'll try to email those out to folks. Um, and we'll try to send

[3:02] out those updates of course over the regular mail as well to those of you

[3:05] that we don't have emails for. >> Then the big date here is October 5th

[3:10] through October 30th. So October 5th through October 30th, that's really game

[3:15] time when it comes to this insurance enrollment. So that's the period of time

[3:19] in which we have to sign up for a new GIC plan. So you could sign up right on

[3:24] October 5th. You could sign up on October 15th. You could sign up on

[3:29] October 29th. You could sign up on October 30th. Can you sign up on

[3:33] November 1st? No, you can't sign up on November 1st.

[3:38] So, it's very very important that you mark your calendars, put a sticky note

[3:42] on the fridge, whatever it is that you need to do to remind yourself that

[3:46] October is the time that you have to make your plan choice. We've heard from

[3:50] a few people in other communities about having to enroll in the GIC and they

[3:56] want you to do it online. So, you'll need to have computer access in order to

[4:00] enroll. And we can talk a little bit more about

[4:03] that as as we go through the presentation. Um, but you will have to

[4:08] enroll online. And the people that we have talked to, people that we know in

[4:11] other communities that have done it, take it for what it's worth, what they

[4:14] tell us is it takes about 5 to 10 minutes to go through the process by

[4:18] enrolling on the GIC. But part of that is preparing yourself

[4:22] beforehand, knowing what plan it is that you're looking for, the plan that you

[4:27] want to sign up for, so that way you don't get overwhelmed by all the

[4:30] different plan selections when you have to make that drop- down selection on the

[4:34] computer. Um, so starting in September, doing some researching, reaching out to

[4:39] care providers, those things are all going to be helpful. December 31st is

[4:43] also going to be a big date to know because that's when your current

[4:47] coverage with the town of Belmont is going to end. So, what do I mean by

[4:50] current coverage? The premiums that you're paying now for the Belmont

[4:54] specific plans um that you're all probably enrolled in,

[4:59] that coverage is going to end on December 31st. the following day, which

[5:04] is New Year's Day, happy new year, you're going to have new health

[5:08] insurance. Um, so that's when the coverage is going to begin. So, just

[5:12] know that your current coverage ends December 31st and the new insurance that

[5:17] you selected in October is going to begin on January 1st of 2027. So that

[5:23] means that all of your providers for yourself and your family, you should be

[5:26] planning on notifying them, notifying the pharmacies that you go to um that

[5:31] your insurance has changed to just update uh with them your new insurance

[5:36] policies. All right. So some key things about the the GIC and

[5:42] this PowerPoint presentation is going to be online as well. So I apologize for

[5:46] being a little bit small here on the screen, but I'm going to talk you

[5:49] through it. So and you can always take notes, too. Um, so the plan year is

[5:53] going to be the same plan year as the plan year that we have now. So that's on

[5:58] the fiscal year calendar. So that's July 1st through June 30th. We are starting

[6:03] our plan midyear. So there will be change in the rates

[6:08] most likely come next July. So in July 2027, but we're doing our transition mid

[6:15] midfiscal year in January. Um, but after after this first initial speed bump of

[6:20] getting onto the GIC will be on the regular rotating schedule of the fiscal

[6:25] year calendar. So, our open enrollments will be the same as they are now.

[6:29] They'll be in the springtime. Your premium deductions um for those of

[6:34] you um that are active employees and retirees um we pay a month ahead right

[6:40] now on the Belmont's plan, our current plans, we pay a month ahead for our

[6:44] insurance coverage. That's going to be the same with the GIC. So, we will also

[6:49] be paying a month ahead. So, the premiums that you contribute this month

[6:53] through your paychecks go toward coverage next month. So, your first new

[6:58] deduction for the GIC coming out of either your pension or coming out of

[7:02] your your paycheck will occur in the month of December. So, a month ahead of

[7:08] January. and your last deduction for um the current plans will be in November

[7:14] for December. Okay. If you're a new employee coming in um to

[7:20] the town of Belmont, you'll have 21 days from your date of hire to enroll in the

[7:24] health insurance. That's just a fun fact to know for most of us since we're all

[7:28] either already employed or we're retired from the town of Belmont. Um have we

[7:34] talked about the annual uh open enrollment? So, the GIC usually does

[7:39] its rates and and all of those types of details a little bit ahead of our normal

[7:45] um springtime and they'll sort of have them already available. So, by the time

[7:50] that it's January, that's usually when they start doing their regular

[7:53] presentations and things about the next plan year that'll happen in July. But,

[7:58] we'll talk about that more as we get closer to July. they have some online

[8:02] sessions and um sort of similar things to what it is that we're doing now,

[8:05] talking about the plans and any plan changes that usually happen in January,

[8:09] but we'll remind folks of that when that comes up. Um qualifying life events, all

[8:14] of these qualifying life events um that we have currently, if you get married,

[8:19] if you get divorced, if you lose coverage in another plan, those are

[8:23] still qualifying events under the GIC. So, those would work the same. you could

[8:27] reach out um to us and you would have a 60-day window to make changes to your

[8:33] plan. And so I think that's probably good

[8:36] there. So we talked about this again. I can't say it enough. Selecting the plan

[8:41] is going to be between October 5th and October 30th. Um all employees and all

[8:47] retirees must choose a GIC plan to enroll in through the online portal. So,

[8:54] if you have a computer at home that you're used to using, that's probably

[8:58] going to be your best bet to set aside some time to go on to the GIC's website

[9:03] to be able to enroll in a new plan. if you don't have a computer at home, but

[9:09] if you have a a grandson or granddaughter, or if you have a son or

[9:14] daughter that has their own computer or is more familiar with it, you may want

[9:18] to set aside some time to have them come up for, you know, a little lunch or

[9:22] something. Maybe they could bring you a little lunch or you could make lunch for

[9:25] them or, you know, something like maybe coffee or tea or, you know, something

[9:30] like that for them to sort of sit with you to get you on the computer to get

[9:35] you through the process. But like I said, it shouldn't be too heavy of a

[9:38] lift based off of what we're hearing from um from other folks. If you don't

[9:43] have a computer, if you don't have um anybody that you know that could help

[9:48] you at home with any sort of computer access and you're sort of local to to

[9:54] Belmont, you all got here today. Um so in October, we will have a designated

[9:59] computer in the HR office that will be specifically for GIC enrollments. So, if

[10:05] you need help with the computer and you don't have anybody to help you with it,

[10:09] you can come into the HR office and myself, Carrie, or Esma will set you up

[10:13] at that computer and we'll do our best to help you walk through that process.

[10:18] If we get a huge demand for that, you're seeing the whole crew here. So, we may

[10:22] have to schedule an appointment for you, but we'll let you know. We'll see what

[10:25] the demand looks like. Um, for our all of our active employees that are here

[10:30] and for our retirees who have dependent, you will need to have supporting

[10:36] documentation for your dependence. So, this is similar to when you first signed

[10:42] up to the plan with us here in the town of Belmont. If you have a spouse that

[10:46] you're looking to bring on to your plan as a dependent, not as a not as a

[10:51] Medicare um person, but as somebody who's under the age of 65 if you're

[10:56] retired. But for all active employees, you would need to have your marriage

[11:00] certificate available to upload onto the GIC if you're bringing them on as a

[11:05] dependent and also birth certificates, copies of birth certificates for your

[11:09] dependents as well. If you're having trouble attaining those, we may have

[11:15] them in the human resources office, but try with your own records first. Um, we

[11:21] should have them, but I can't guarantee it. Um, but you would, it's on you to be

[11:27] able to provide those. So, if you can't find them, if you can't get them, reach

[11:30] out to us and we'll try to see if we have a copy of them to get to you. Okay.

[11:39] So, when it comes to the plan selection, like I just said, you're responsible for

[11:43] it. Um, the GIC does have some what I'm calling provider assistance.

[11:51] So, we'll put all this information, links to it up onto our on our website

[11:55] on our GIC information page. And what the provider assistance would

[12:00] be is that we'll we have phone numbers for all of these providers. So, I'll go

[12:04] through the providers in a few minutes. And each one of them has a phone number

[12:08] that you can call if you're having questions about what the plan covers.

[12:11] You just want to let them know that you are not an active member of the plan,

[12:16] but you're transitioning over to the GIC and you're taking a look at your options

[12:20] and these are the things that you usually need coverage for. What would it

[12:24] look like on your plan? Can you give me any estimates of costs or any questions

[12:28] that you might have? Um, so you can call these providers directly. Um, also I

[12:35] would I would recommend in most circumstances that you verify your care

[12:40] providers as well. So, not just the insurance providers, but the care

[12:43] providers just to make sure that they're accepting the insurance that you're that

[12:48] you're looking for. Right now, all of you probably know we have Harvard

[12:52] Pilgrim as our insurance provider. The GIC does offer a number of Harvard

[12:57] Pilgrim plans as well. So, the likelihood that you would have to change

[13:01] a doctor if you went on to the GIC's version of the Harvard Pilgrim plan is

[13:06] definitely a lot lower than if we were going to a company that's different than

[13:10] Harvard Pilgrim, but you still should check. That's not a bad thing to do. Um,

[13:15] and then we do have some additional resources that we mailed out to you. Um,

[13:20] the GIC's website is a great um is a great resource. Maybe when we get to the

[13:24] question and answer, I can use the computer here and we can go to some of

[13:28] those pages together and I can show you where those resources live.

[13:34] Okay, how are we doing? Okay, I'm doing all right, thanks for asking.

[13:40] Um, but we have a few more slides to go through, but this is this is the stuff

[13:44] probably that you all came for, which is about the plans themselves.

[13:49] So, right now I'm going to be talking mainly to folks that are under Medicare

[13:53] age. So, if right now you're on a Medicare plan, the stuff that I'm going

[13:58] to talk about for the next couple of slides won't necessarily apply to you

[14:01] all that much. I didn't say this at the top and I'm sorry to the people on Zoom,

[14:06] but we do have some cookies and some water over there. So, if you're over 65

[14:10] and you're you're feeling a little rumbly in the tumbly, you can head over

[14:14] there and grab a cookie um or a glass of water as we make it through this next

[14:19] session. Yes.

[14:23] And for the folks that don't have don't have Medicare but are of Medicare age,

[14:28] is that what Yes, we can talk about that too. Yep. So, these would probably be

[14:33] the plans that would apply to you, too. So, if you're one of those folks, then

[14:37] yes, definitely pay close attention here. So, um, our active employee and

[14:43] non-Medicare, uh, retiree plans. So, the GIC offers four different insurance

[14:50] carriers. So, we have where they're going to have Harvard Pilgrim, which we

[14:53] know and are familiar with. They're going to have um, Health New England,

[14:58] Mass General, Brighgam, and Wellpoint. And with these four carriers, there's

[15:04] going to be eight different plan options. So, you'll have eight different

[15:08] choices to make. So, there's going to be various plan types that I'm going to

[15:12] talk about that you may or may not be familiar. So, I'll just tell you a

[15:15] little bit about them. So, some of the plans, they are a HM HMO

[15:21] plan. So, probably we're familiar with HMO plans because that's what we have

[15:26] currently. If you're an active employee, you're likely to have a HMO plan um

[15:32] because that's what we offer now. So, pretty much what an HMO plan means um is

[15:36] that you have to stay in the network. So, there's a defined network of

[15:40] providers and you really can't go outside of that network. So, there's a

[15:46] lot less flexibility there when you're choosing who your care provider is going

[15:50] to be. You have to make sure they're on that list or in that network. Then you

[15:55] have a new plan type to us here at least in Belmont and that's called a POSOS

[16:00] insurance plan. So a point of service insurance plan. These are actually

[16:05] pretty interesting um because you can mainly stay in the network. So there's

[16:09] going to be a network sort of like the HMO plan, but also you have a some more

[16:14] flexibility. You have some additional options. So you can see providers that

[16:20] are out of network on a POS plan. So, it's almost like a PO plan in that way,

[16:25] but not quite. Um, it's it's an HMO style plan. If you see somebody that's

[16:29] out of network, you'll get some coverage toward it, but it's probably going to be

[16:33] more expensive. So, you just have to weigh the pros and cons there. Then

[16:38] there's the PO plan. We have PO plans now. We have a few employees that are on

[16:43] PO plans. There will be um PO plans with the GIC. It's a PO plan. It will give

[16:49] you more choices. Um, pretty much your approach to a PO should be you'll have

[16:54] access to the network of providers. If you go to somebody in network, great.

[17:00] You might be able to save a little bit of money that way, but you can also see

[17:04] people out of network as well. So, if you have special conditions or seeing

[17:08] certain specialists that you want to make sure you can see, going on a PO

[17:12] plan would give you the greatest likelihood that you'll be able to get

[17:15] some coverage um there as well. Then the last type of plan is an indemnity plan.

[17:22] These types of plans, you have the most freedom there to choose your providers.

[17:27] Um, but with that type of freedom, it kind of works like our current PO plan

[17:32] now where it's very very expensive and we don't have very many people on it.

[17:36] Um, but because you can have access to pretty much anybody across the country,

[17:40] that's a lot of risk to the insurance company. So that bumps up those the

[17:44] premium of the plan and then also the cost sharing of the plan as well. Um but

[17:49] that'll give you the most amount of freedom um to choose who you want to

[17:53] have as your care provider. So we have a little chart that's down here. I know

[17:58] it's probably impossible for you to see, but we will put this um online uh for

[18:03] folks to take a look at, but it does compare um the in network care, the out

[18:08] of network care, the out of network costs um and a few other factors that

[18:12] you may or may not be interested in. It's not going to give you hard numbers,

[18:15] but it's going to give you whether or not this usually happens with this plan

[18:19] or definitely happens with this plan. Um those types of things. So, hopefully

[18:22] that's a helpful tool. Now, if you have specific questions, I may revert back to

[18:26] this slide to help me out. So, your current premium rates or your

[18:32] premium rates. So, what is this all going to cost? Um, so the important

[18:36] thing to know is that the cost sharing arrangement that you have now is not

[18:40] changing. So, if you're a member of a collective bargaining agreement, um,

[18:45] your cost sharing that's built into that collective bargaining agreement is going

[18:48] to stay the same. whatever the GIC costs, we're taking those that that that

[18:54] system and we're applying it to the GIC's costs. Um, so that's how that's

[19:00] working. So if you are somebody who knows in the back of your mind that I'm

[19:03] an 8020 person, then you're still going to be an 8020 person. If you know that

[19:07] you're a 7525 person, where 75% of the premium is paid for by the town and 25%

[19:13] falls to you, you're still going to be a 7525%

[19:17] person. That's not changing. If you're on a PO plan and you're a 50/50 cost

[19:23] sharing person, that's going to stay the same. So, whatever the GIC is charging,

[19:27] we're applying that structure to the GIC. So, that's how we came up with our

[19:32] rates. Um, I talked about this already. The premiums are paid one month in

[19:36] advance. Um, so the first paycheck in December, so December 2026 or the

[19:41] December 2026 pension if you're retired, that will have the new premium amount in

[19:47] it. uh based off of the plan that you selected.

[19:51] So once you select your plan in October, the reason why we're having you do it so

[19:56] early is once you all pick your plans, then that information is going to come

[20:01] to the three of us and then we're going to have to apply all your rates to it.

[20:05] Um so that's going to be a big lift, but we'll do it. We'll we'll do it. It'll be

[20:08] a good workout for us. Um, but what I want you to remember as I go through all

[20:13] these premium costs, um, is very important is that the premium is only

[20:19] part of your health insurance cost. That's the part that I deal with, um,

[20:25] here in the town of Belmont. Um, is what comes out of your paychecks um, when you

[20:32] get your paycheck. But after you get your paycheck, you spend it however you

[20:36] want. And that applies to your health insurance in a way too because there's

[20:40] cost sharing, there's deductibles, there's all these other factors of your

[20:44] health insurance that goes beyond just the cost that I'm going to talk about

[20:48] today. So that's where you come in where you're going to have to take a look at

[20:52] these different plans to see which plan would work best for you by taking a look

[20:56] at some of those additional costs beyond just what the premium is.

[21:01] Okay,

[21:04] so our first plan that we can talk about um is from Mass General Bighgam. Um so

[21:10] again, these are for people that are active employees and that are

[21:14] non-Medicare retirees. Um so people that are either under the age of 65 or people

[21:20] that may not be eligible for Medicare. So how these plans work, this is just a

[21:26] HMO plan. So the Mass General Brighgam is just an HMO plan. So you have to keep

[21:31] yourself limited to the network defined by Mass General Bighgam. Um it's a

[21:36] pretty broad network across the state of Massachusetts. So you should be able to

[21:40] find some care providers there. Um some advantages to this is that it is a broad

[21:46] network plan. So it's not limited. So similar to the HMO plan that we have now

[21:51] that's kind of broad across the state um and across the region. Um, this one too

[21:57] is a broader network, so it's not a limited network plan. It would work the

[22:01] same as your current HMO if you're on it. It' be coordinated care. So, what

[22:05] does that mean? You have you feel something's up, something's wrong, you

[22:09] talk to your primary care physician. If it's a first time thing, your primary

[22:13] care physician gives you a referral to see a specialist. So, you still will

[22:18] need referrals under this plan, the same as our as our current um structure of a

[22:23] plan. So, the things to consider when you're choosing this plan, if you wanted

[22:28] to choose it, um, is that out of network coverage, um, is generally very, very

[22:34] limited because it's an HMO plan, um, when you compare it to a PO or the

[22:39] indemnity plan. So, you really just have to stick to the people that take this

[22:44] insurance. So, what I would do since this is a a new company that we're

[22:50] dealing with here, if you're interested in the Mass General Brigam plan is to

[22:54] call your care providers to see if they accept it. Um, this would definitely be

[22:59] one that you would want to call about. Um, so this one's sort of best suited

[23:03] for somebody who wants a broad Massachusetts network and is comfortable

[23:07] receiving care within an HMO network. So, that's kind of similar to what it is

[23:12] that we have. Now the next plan option that we have is from Harvard Pilgrim and

[23:17] this is um called the Harvard Pilgrim Access America Plan. This is their PO

[23:23] plan. So when you hear PO you should think a bit more expensive of a premium

[23:28] just like our current PO is a more expensive premium. Um so this provides

[23:33] national coverage. So it's not limited or broad just to the state of

[23:38] Massachusetts but it's national coverage that you can receive. um you'll have

[23:43] access to the network, the Harvard Pilgrim Network through the GIC, but

[23:48] also you'll have some flexibility to see care providers outside of the network as

[23:53] well. So, the advantages here is that you have a national network. You have

[23:57] greater flexibility when you're choosing providers and it's particularly useful

[24:01] to people who travel a lot um outside of the state of Massachusetts. But if

[24:07] you're not one of those folks, then you know, maybe the PO plan is not for you.

[24:11] But it's up to you to decide. Um, so the things to consider would be that the

[24:16] costs are going to be a little bit higher when it comes to your premiums

[24:19] that you're paying out of your paycheck or out of your pension. Um, and it's

[24:23] going to be still at the 50/50 cost sharing. So our current PO that we have

[24:27] now is at a 50/50 cost sharing. This PO is comparable to that. So it's going to

[24:34] be a 50/50 cost sharing as well. So, just know that um that it's going to be

[24:38] a little bit more on the expensive side as far as the premium goes.

[24:43] The next one is the Harvard Pilgrim Explorer Plan. So, this is a point of

[24:48] service plan. So, that's that new type of plan that I was talking about. It's

[24:51] not all that new, but in the grand scheme of things, but new to us. Um kind

[24:56] of like a used car, but better than a new used car. It's a brand new car to

[24:59] us. Um so, this is a broad network plan. Um, and it combines the features of an

[25:06] HMO and a PO. So members generally will get their care from the network on the

[25:12] plan at the defined network at a lower cost, but if they wanted to see somebody

[25:17] outside of the network, they would be able to get some coverage toward it.

[25:21] Might not be the most coverage in the world, um, or equivalent to people that

[25:25] are in networks, you may pay a little bit more, um, but it is available to you

[25:29] usually at a higher cost. The advantage here is that it's a little bit more

[25:34] flexible than your um traditional HMO. It's got that broad network again, so

[25:40] it'll cover you anywhere you live here in the Massachusetts in Massachusetts.

[25:44] Um and it provides you with that option for folks that occasionally might need

[25:49] or might like to receive care outside of our defined network.

[25:55] Okay. So, if you're looking for something that has some flexibility,

[25:59] that's not a bad option. very similar to the the plan that we have now but might

[26:04] have some enhancements to it because it's beyond just a traditional HMO.

[26:10] Then we have the quality HMO plan. Uh the quality HMO plan is another plan

[26:15] that's offered through Harvard Pilgrim. It has a limited network. Um so again

[26:22] it's like a like your HMO. So you have that list of providers. If you'd go to

[26:26] somebody who's outside of that list, you may not be able to get coverage or the

[26:30] coverage would be limited, very, very limited coverage. Um, so this can be

[26:35] seen sort of as a lower cost option when you're thinking about your paycheck,

[26:38] when you're thinking about your pension check. Um, that the premium will be a

[26:43] little bit lower. Um, it still provides that traditional coordinated approach to

[26:48] care where you need to have referrals from your primary care doctor.

[26:52] um it's a good option um for people that might have um care providers that are

[26:58] already in the network. So, if you already have people that are inside the

[27:01] network and you're looking to save some money there, then this one might not be

[27:05] a bad option for you. But again, remember premiums are only part of the

[27:10] cost. So, um you may want to take a look at the details of the plan as well.

[27:19] How we doing? Okay, it's a lot of plans. It's a lot of plans. Write down your

[27:23] questions. Make sure you have questions because it's it's tough hearing yourself

[27:26] talk throughout these entire things. You know, you get kind of tired of your own

[27:30] voice. Um, thank you, Pam. I appreciate it. Um, so the next one is with another

[27:36] new company. Um, and this is Health New England. It's available again to all of

[27:41] the active folks and all the non-Medare retirees. It's another HMO plan. This

[27:47] one is a regional network. So, that's a really important detail because when I

[27:52] show you the prices, you'll be like, "Hey, this one looks pretty affordable."

[27:56] Um, but it's it's mainly geared toward folks that live out in Western Mass. So,

[28:01] if there's anybody out there on Zoom that's zooming in from Western Mass,

[28:06] maybe this plan might be interesting to you. If anybody here commuted in from

[28:11] Western Mass and get your care out in Western Mass, then maybe this plan is an

[28:15] option for you. I'm not trying to dissuade you from it. I just want you to

[28:18] know where that um regional network is. So, it's really for the folks out there

[28:22] in the western part of the state. Um but it's an HMO, so there's going to be that

[28:26] network of of folks, coordinated care, so referrals, things like that, similar

[28:31] to what it is that we have now. Another brand new company to us, it's been

[28:35] around for a while, but it's new to us, um is Wellpoint. So, Wellpoint is

[28:40] another health insurance company that um is offered through the GIC to all of our

[28:45] active and non-Medare retirees. This uh particular one is called the Wellpoint

[28:50] total Choice. There's going to be a couple of Wellpoint plans, so make sure

[28:53] you're thinking this is the total choice. Um this is the indemnity plan

[28:58] option that is offered by the GIC. So, this is a different type of plan than

[29:03] what we've had um in the in the past. Um, we have had a PO that provides us

[29:08] with out of network coverage, but the indemnity plans, they're like a step

[29:11] above the PO plan when it comes to the freedom and independence that you have

[29:16] to select your own care provider. So, with this one, I hate to say it, but you

[29:21] may be able to see anybody that you want to see. Don't quote me on that, but just

[29:25] about anybody. There going to be one of you that says, "I have the indemnity

[29:28] plan," and they said they didn't take it. But for most cases, um, this one you

[29:33] can see pretty much whoever it is that you want. This is going to provide you

[29:36] with the most amount of flexibility when choosing your health care providers. Um,

[29:41] unlike the HMO, members are not limited to that HMO structure. Um, so it's not

[29:47] really it's not that coordinated care. So if you want to go see a specialist

[29:51] somewhere and you don't want to talk to your primary care first and get a

[29:54] referral, you can go and see that person um, with this with this plan. So, it's

[29:59] really a big plan for uh people who need flexibility. Why would you need

[30:04] flexibility? Um, if you have pretty serious health conditions or somebody in

[30:09] your family that you're that you are taking care of that has more serious

[30:13] health conditions, this plan might be an option for you because you may want to

[30:17] have everything available to you that you have. Um, but it may not work for

[30:22] everybody. Not everybody may need to have a plan with that amount of um

[30:25] choice. So the next one uh from wellpoint is a

[30:30] PO type plan. Um so this is very similar to um how PPOs work. Um however it's

[30:37] when we talk about our cost sharing arrangement um with where PPOs are

[30:42] usually 50/50. Uh this one is going to be uh at the 7525 price point um for

[30:49] cost sharing across the town. So this offers a pretty broad provider access.

[30:54] It's more flexible than your traditional HMO.

[30:59] Um, but you generally still do receive the best bang for your buck by seeing

[31:06] people that are in the network. So, even though you can see people outside of the

[31:10] network, if you do that, then they're going to be more expensive. You're going

[31:14] to get some cost sharing toward it, you're going to get some coverage toward

[31:17] it, but it's going to be uh more expensive. Um, so it's it's pretty good.

[31:23] It would be a good advice, I think, um, to compare not just the premium here,

[31:28] but to compare, um, the different cost sharing things in the plans themselves.

[31:32] So, if you're trying to think of like the Harvard Pilgrim Plan, and then

[31:36] you're you're thinking of the Wellpoint plan, the Wellpoint plan, this one's a

[31:39] little bit cheaper, definitely take a look at the things that affect you. So

[31:43] try to take a look at those plan documents or give a call to the

[31:47] individual providers to talk about the things that you usually need care for uh

[31:52] to see what the what the actual benefit will be to you. Um perfect.

[31:58] The next one is uh called Wellpoint Community Choice. This is another

[32:03] limited network plan. So similar to that Health New England plan that I talked

[32:07] about. So this is going to give you a very small or smaller I shouldn't say

[32:12] vary but smaller um list of providers that you can see um across the across

[32:18] the area. Um so it has a very it has a designated set of providers. Um

[32:25] again it's the same thing. A lot of this is repeating but um you get the best

[32:29] benefit when you're using the network. So if you're going outside of the

[32:33] network because this is another PO type but it's a limited network. if you're

[32:36] going outside of that network, it's going to be a bit of a higher cost to

[32:40] you. So, this one um would be good for somebody who's looking for a PO type

[32:45] plan, who might want to see people from time to time outside of network, um but

[32:50] they're comfortable also using just generally a more limited network than

[32:55] some of the other plans.

[33:00] You're doing okay still? I'm doing all right. I have one right

[33:05] behind me, I think. Um, so those are all of our active plans. Um, I'll go through

[33:10] some of the rates in just a little bit, but I'll go over the for all you folks

[33:14] that waited patiently um on Zoom and also here in the room um who are are

[33:20] Medicare folks, um this is going to be applying to you. For those of you that

[33:24] are still young whippers snappers out there, um and and not and not Medicare

[33:30] age yet, uh this is what you have to look forward to. So, it's still good

[33:33] information, but just like I said to our Medicare retirees, and I apologize to

[33:37] the folks that are on Zoom, but we do have some cookies in the room. So, if

[33:41] you're not interested in listening and you would like to get some fuel, you

[33:44] can. They're right over there. Some water, too, is provided over there.

[33:49] So, the Medicare retiree plans, again, we're going to have four insurance

[33:52] carriers, very similar to the active plans. Some are a little bit different.

[33:56] So, we're going to have Harvard Pilgrim again. We're going to have Health New

[33:59] England. I'll talk about their their plan. You're going to have TUS. So, some

[34:03] of you may have out in Zoomland or here in the room, you may have our TUS

[34:07] Medicare supplement already. The um the GIC offers a TUS plan as well. Um and

[34:15] then the last one is Wellpoint. So, Wellpoint is another um Medicare plan uh

[34:20] that we that we offer. These are Medicare supplement plans and one of

[34:24] them is a Medicare advantage type plan and that is the um that's the TUS plan.

[34:30] So, what are the differences? So, some of you who are of Medicare uh age and on

[34:34] on Medicare supplements right now may know the difference already, but I'll

[34:37] just go over it again. So, a Medicare supplement, which is just like what we

[34:41] have now in the town of Belmont, um means that you have your original

[34:45] Medicare. Original Medicare is the first two letters of the alphabet, A and B.

[34:52] So, you have your original Medicare and then in addition to that, you have your

[34:56] supplements. So they work together as a team to provide you with the coverage

[35:01] that you need. >> Medicare advantage plan or Medicare

[35:05] Advantage types. Um what the advantage plan is doing for you is it's working

[35:10] almost like your HMO would have worked which is that they're sort of managing

[35:14] your what your benefit is for you. So, you still have to be on Medicare A and

[35:19] B, your original Medicare, but um your Medicare benefits and your additional

[35:24] benefits are managed through um the advantage plan. So, instead of

[35:30] coordinating between the two, the advantage plan just sort of takes care

[35:34] of everything for you. Um so, what's the bottom line here? Um

[35:39] with a Medicare supplement, original Medicare remains your primary coverage.

[35:45] And with a Medicare Advantage plan, the health plan itself manages your Medicare

[35:50] benefits and its network plan rules become a little bit more important. So

[35:55] that's that's the scoop there. Another thing um that I didn't talk

[36:00] about on that slide that I'll talk about here um is that all of these Medicare

[36:05] plans that I'm going to talk about offer prescription drug coverage. So that's

[36:09] why I say it's just the first two letters of the alphabet in Medicare.

[36:13] Medicare Part D is prescription drug coverage if you're transitioning to

[36:18] Medicare um or if you're already there. Um you don't need to have part D if

[36:23] you're on the town's plan now and you don't need to have part D if you're on

[36:27] the GIC's plan. So really no change um as far as how we're going to manage that

[36:32] for helping to shepherd people through their retirement. Um so you will have

[36:37] prescription drug coverage included in all these plans. It's going to be

[36:40] through Silver Script, uh, which is a a CVS Health company.

[36:45] Um, so like what did I miss here? So yes, it's going to be similar to what it

[36:49] is that we have now, which is that it's going to be tiered. So some of you may

[36:52] be familiar with this already. You may have been told this by your doctor or at

[36:57] the pharmacy that if you're getting certain drugs, they'll be tier one, tier

[37:01] two, tier three. And depending upon what tier it's in, that will determine how

[37:06] much it costs. Um, it might mean by transitioning over to the GIC that some

[37:13] of your prescriptions might increase a little bit. It might mean that they

[37:16] might decrease a little bit. It is a new plan. If you're looking to anticipate

[37:20] that, um, the the GIC does have a prescription calculator, if you can

[37:26] imagine such a thing. It's actually more simple than you think. You put the name

[37:30] of your prescription in there that you use and then it spits back out at you

[37:35] the the cost that would be to you at the pharmacy. So, I've done this with a

[37:39] couple of people on the phone and unfortunately I don't have too much good

[37:44] news to report but I'm an honest guy so I'll tell you that um you know it was

[37:49] like $10 more a prescription. Um but that's not going to mean that's going to

[37:53] be $10 for everybody in this room but like I said I'm an honest guy so I'm

[37:57] telling you. But you'd have to check for your own um prescriptions because maybe

[38:02] hopefully my fingers are crossed for you. Your prescriptions are $10 less,

[38:07] maybe even more, but we'll see. Um so let's see.

[38:13] Perfect, perfect, perfect. So down there at the bottom, big thing to know, any

[38:17] GIC Medicare plan offers medical plus prescription coverage. You're getting

[38:22] them both. Question. Oh boy. All right, I'll take a break. You want to come up

[38:25] here? No, I'm kidding. Yeah.

[38:39] » Sue, is that a question that you can help us with? Because we've had a few of

[38:42] these questions. So, do they have to go to CVS and how does this compare

[38:48] » between Etna that they have now and going over to this CBS? Because they're

[38:52] both called Silver Scripts, so it can be confusing.

[38:59] CVS, but it doesn't

[39:03] have to use CVS. Sorry. Um you can for the most part

[39:11] there is a network ofies but you know they almost

[39:26] » very likely yes so just like what Sue said um so for the folks on Zoom there

[39:30] was a question I don't know if you heard it or not and that was um because this

[39:34] plan is called CVS silver script, you have to use CVS and our health

[39:39] consultant Sue said that um you do not um CVS's will of course be included. Um

[39:45] but it's that's just the company's name. Uh but you can go to many manyarmacies

[39:50] across the across the state. So the next question was somebody see goes to

[39:55] Harvard Vanguard which a lot of people do. Um and they the Harvard Vanguards

[40:00] are pretty cool because they they have like everything all in one building. So

[40:03] it makes it kind of nice. You can get your appointment up top and then you go

[40:06] downstairs to the pharmacy. One-stop shop. It's pretty nice, I think. Yes.

[40:11] But I would I would definitely plan to once you have your new Silver Script

[40:16] card, because you'll get a new card in the mail when you sign up for this, is

[40:20] to bring that new card with you to that pharmacy to let them know that it's

[40:24] changed.

[40:39] question. >> If you want to save general question

[40:42] just until the end, we'll get Do you mind or we can answer it now? Why don't

[40:45] we answer it now? Go ahead.

[40:51] » Medicare from advanced advanced or whatever. So

[40:57] that's the >> So when you get a letter saying that

[41:00] that something is is approved.

[41:11] Yes. I believe that that's going to be a similar structure. Yep. Right. So

[41:15] something's not not covered by by Medicare, then they would send it over

[41:19] to Right. Yep. Yep. So that should that should be the

[41:24] same. There shouldn't be much of a change change there to how sort of the

[41:28] structure of things are. What we have now is a Medicare supplement plan. If

[41:32] you go to another Medicare supplement plan, that arrangement will work the

[41:35] same. Okay. So, let's talk about the plans. Um, so

[41:40] we have our this one's very similar to the one that we have now. We have

[41:44] Harvard Pilgrim Medicare Enhanced. The GIC has Harvard Pilgrim Medicare

[41:49] Enhanced. Um, so this is just a Medicare supplement, very, very similar to the

[41:54] plan that we have here in Belmont. Is it going to be the same commas in the same

[41:58] places and the same words and the same numbers, most importantly, the same

[42:02] numbers? Maybe not. It's going to be a new plan. It's a different plan that the

[42:07] GIC negotiated with Harvard Pilgrim than the town of Belmont individually

[42:12] negotiated. But generally, this is pretty much very similar to what it is

[42:16] that we have now. almost almost identical, but very very close. Um, so

[42:21] that's that's that one there. I can talk more about it if you have questions, but

[42:25] I I realize we're getting close on time, so I'll get through the presentation and

[42:28] then you guys can ask some questions. The next one um is the Health New

[42:33] England plan. So, this is their Medicare Supplement Plus plan. So, again, works

[42:38] very similar. It supplements the original Medicare coverage. Um, so you

[42:43] have to have A and B. Um it's designed by the GIC um for GIC retirees and

[42:50] Medicare eligible folks. Um

[42:55] so this one I guess you would want to just confirm with your providers that

[42:59] they take it um because it is different than what it is you have now. It's a

[43:03] different company. So, it would be good to reach out to your providers to just

[43:06] let them know if you're interested in the Health New England um that you ask

[43:11] them, you know, call up your doctor's offices and just ask them, do you take

[43:16] Health New England plans? And then they'll either tell you yes or no if

[43:19] it's something that you're interested in.

[43:22] The TUS plan, for those of you that are on TUS already with the town of Belmont,

[43:26] you could be in this room, you could be on Zoom. Um this is going to be a very

[43:30] similar plan to the one that we have right now. This is that advantage

[43:35] HMO type plan. This is almost exactly what our TUS plan is uh right now. So,

[43:42] um it works the same way even though we're we're calling it the advantage

[43:45] plan. It's it's going to be very similar to the TUS plan that we have. The big

[43:49] difference here is going to be that it it is the difference to the other plans

[43:54] is that it's a very limited network plan. So, it's going to probably just

[43:57] limit you to the state of Massachusetts. So, if you're a retiree that likes to

[44:02] travel a lot, which a lot of you uh are, um, or if you see yourself maybe

[44:07] traveling or staying in a different state for a couple of months out of the

[44:10] year, um, perhaps having a more national coverage plan like the HMO that we like

[44:15] the Harvard Pilgrim plan that we offer now might be a good option. But the

[44:19] folks that are already on the TUS plan here with Belmont, they're probably okay

[44:23] with that arrangement. So, this might be might be a good option to consider.

[44:28] Um, Wellpoint. So, Wellpair Wellpoint's Medicare extension. Um, so this is the

[44:33] Medicare supplement that's offered by Wellpoint

[44:37] works the exact same way. So, all all four of these plans other than well,

[44:42] three of these plans are Medicare supplements. So, if you're on the

[44:45] Harvard Pilgrim plan now, you want to take a look at these three other

[44:49] supplements. So, you have the Harvard Pilgrim one that's offered by the GIC.

[44:54] That's going to be very similar to what it is we have now. So, if you're

[44:56] somebody that doesn't like a whole lot of change, that one might be the one

[44:59] that you want to start with saying, "I'm going to look at this one first and see

[45:02] if it's right for me." If you're somebody that doesn't really like the

[45:05] Harvard Pilgrim plan that we have now, maybe you're looking to see what your

[45:09] other options are, maybe you're just curious. You may want to compare

[45:14] coverage for with the Wellpoint plan and then the

[45:17] » health similar, but you're saying >> those are going to be the comparable

[45:20] plans that are there. >> You know, we got to look into it if you

[45:23] travel a lot. >> So, let's talk about How are we doing?

[45:27] » Okay. >> All right. So, we'll talk about some of

[45:29] the numbers. So, I'll do my Medicare folks first.

[45:34] » So, I know that this is very small, so put on your binoculars, but I will um I

[45:38] will read them to you so you know, and then we'll have all this information

[45:42] available um on the on the town's website as well um after the meeting.

[45:47] So, for the TUS Medicare preferred plan, the TUS plan I was just talking about.

[45:52] So, the monthly premium cost for that um is going to be $11.96.

[45:58] That'll come out of your pension once once a month just like it does now.

[46:02] » What is our current TUS deduction? Does anybody know

[46:09] » 12780? Some people are cheating by reading on the on the on the slide

[46:14] there, but that's all right. Um, so it's 12780. So we're going from

[46:19] 12780 to 10196. So if you're on TUS, hooray.

[46:25] Um, you're saving 25 bucks a month. I don't know how much that's going to get

[46:29] you these days, but >> you're saving $25 a month. Um, now for

[46:34] the other ones. Um, so the Harvard Pilgrim Medicare Enhanced, the plan that

[46:38] is most similar to the one that we have now. So, with the um with the GIC, the

[46:44] rate is going to be $150.30. Does anybody know what our current rate

[46:49] is?

[46:53] » 14737. I should cover up this part of the

[46:56] screen here, but I'm sure you guys probably know. So, 14737. So, what we're

[47:01] what you're looking at if you went on to the GIC's Harvard plan is you're looking

[47:05] at a $2.93 increase. So very very comparable um to

[47:12] to the cost the other two plans. So if you're on the Harvard Pilgrim plan or if

[47:17] you're on the TUS plan and you're saying wow I got you're on TUS plan you have 25

[47:21] extra dollars. What can I do with that 25 extra dollars? Maybe I'll go on to

[47:25] one of the other plans. Um so the other companies there so the Health New

[47:28] England plan uh that one's going to be 15127. So very close um in cost to the

[47:35] Harvard Pilgrim uh Medicare enhance. It's a $3.90

[47:39] difference from what you're paying now. Um the Wellpoint Medicare extension is

[47:43] at 14741. So we pay 14737. So I mean I did do the

[47:51] math on this. This one was this one was a challenge. It was a three cent

[47:54] difference. Um, so if you're looking to have no change or hardly any change in

[48:00] what you're paying each month in a premium, maybe take a look at the

[48:03] details of the wellpoint Medicare extension. But the other the other ones

[48:09] there, I mean, you're looking at under a $5 difference in a premium coverage per

[48:14] month. But remember what I said at the top, the premium is only part of the

[48:21] cost. Um, so even though we're not doing a whole bunch here, the plans could be

[48:25] different and you want to take a look at your individual needs, the individual

[48:29] needs of of, you know, of your spouses, um, to see if which plan will work best

[48:35] for you. Okay. Um, next, uh, we will go into the

[48:43] non-medicare plans. Um, so for folks that are here who are and on Zoom who

[48:50] are of Medicare age, there's a lot of plans here. Um, before I get into those

[48:55] ones, did you guys have any questions about the rates or or anything like

[48:58] that? The people that are Medicare age. >> Yeah. Yeah.

[49:07] » Yes. Great question. So, that's a really good question. The question to people on

[49:10] Zoom was about our dental coverage. So the GIC transition is only for health

[49:16] insurance. So it's only for health insurance coverage. Um so your Delta

[49:20] dental will remain the same. That goes the same for active employees as well.

[49:24] The only thing that the town is changing is its health insurance coverage. Yeah.

[49:37] » Medicare plans.

[49:41] » Yes. Yeah. They we have those up at the top, but yeah, we can definitely we can

[49:44] definitely go back and do that. Hang hang tight on that one, though.

[49:59] » Great question, Sue. Do you know that?

[50:04] two

[50:10] point extension plan. So it is a an indefinity plan that covers all

[50:16] providers. So it is much more extensive than just

[50:20] the western house plan. >> Great. So, yes. So, the the Wellpoint

[50:26] Medicare version or excuse me, the Health New England Medicare version is

[50:30] going to give you that same national type level coverage that you're that

[50:34] you're getting now and with the other plans as well. Yes, sir.

[50:47] » So, well, the co-pays could vary. So, definitely they could vary. The plans

[50:52] could vary. So, what I would recommend that you do um is that you go on to the

[50:57] GIC's website. You take a look at and we can

[51:01] do that at the end of the meeting. I know that we're probably going to run

[51:03] over time, so I apologize for anybody that planned, you know, anything after

[51:08] this meeting, but I'm happy to stay here as long as you need. I know that we have

[51:11] some of our our active employees here, too. So, if if you want, we can stay at

[51:16] the end and then I can show you where to go on the on the computer to take a look

[51:20] at those. Yes. >> Yeah.

[51:23] So that is going to effective January 1. The renewal date

[51:31] for both the ads and the EM retirey plans is July 1. So there even though

[51:37] you're going to go through open enrollments in October to sign up for

[51:41] January, those plans are then going to be due July 1. So you will have another

[51:47] opportunity in April to look at the plan you enrolled in and if you want to make

[51:53] changes you can do that effective July 1. At the February commissioner is

[51:59] meeting they vote on what the benefits are going to be for July. So, what Mitch

[52:06] is going to show you, we put that in the decision guide. If you have that, we do

[52:12] that's what will be effective January 1. It could change for July 1.

[52:20] » Yes. One more question and then we'll move on to the other rates.

[52:28] » GIC. It's basically the same plan with the exception of the few weeks.

[52:36] » Yes. >> Yes. Yep.

[52:39] » Perfect. All right. For the rest of the questions, we'll get through these rate

[52:42] sheets. There's a number of them. Um because we have a lot of different

[52:45] employee groups. Um so the the first one here is for our unit A folks. Um they're

[52:52] they are all teachers. I don't know if we have any teachers here in the room or

[52:56] not. Um but if if you do um these rate sheets that we're going to be putting

[53:01] online here um and ESMA maybe if you if you want to

[53:06] run back up to the office maybe on the drive there's printable it's called

[53:11] printable um GIC rate sheets maybe you can print off a couple and then bring

[53:16] them back over because we'll probably be a few extra minutes. Maybe we can get a

[53:20] couple out to people to take home. Um yes.

[53:25] Yes.

[53:29] Sure. All right. That sounds sounds good to me. Um, so yeah. So, for the interest

[53:34] of time, like like Jeff said, I know we're getting close to the close to the

[53:38] end. Um, I can talk about the specific rates if you have questions about them.

[53:43] Um, but just remember um that when choosing your GIC plan, you want to just

[53:48] ask yourself a couple of things. Um, so you want to think to yourself, are my

[53:52] doctors and hospitals covered? Does the network work for me? What type of health

[53:58] care am I going to need? What will the actual cost be beyond just the premium?

[54:04] And also thinking about your prescriptions as well. So, these are

[54:07] some of the questions that you want to have going in your head when you're

[54:10] taking a look at the different plan options. Yes, Shane.

[54:15] » Yeah.

[54:20] » Yeah.

[54:24] » Yep. So for the people that are here active um I'll go over this one rate

[54:28] sheet and then we'll then we'll move to general questions

[54:34] the main one that people are on. So the HMO so over here on on on this side here

[54:40] that's going to compare our plans to all the different plans that are here. So

[54:44] you have your eight different plans that you can choose from. The new rate which

[54:48] is in the big and big numbers and then over on the on the side if you're seeing

[54:52] a lot of red that's that's the savings. So if you're looking at let's choose

[54:56] one. So let's do an individual Harvard Pilgrim Explorer plan. So for that one

[55:01] uh right now you're paying 8062 if you're an individual. If you are um on

[55:08] the GIC's plan it's 8070. So it's a two cent increase for for somebody. Yeah.

[55:20] » Why would they to pay two

[55:29] months?

[55:34] » That's a great question.

[55:37] » That's a great question. Um, so what what basically it is is it's taking a

[55:42] look at sort of the long-term stability of kind of our health care situation. So

[55:47] right now the town is self-insured. So as a self-insured entity, if we have a

[55:53] lot of increases in health care costs across

[55:58] our risk pool here, that's going to drive up the cost for everybody else and

[56:02] we're going to have to spread that. So it drives up the cost and we spread it

[56:06] over fewer people. So that means that our rate increases each year could be

[56:11] very large like in the double digits you know 10 12% last year we had a 24%

[56:16] increase by joining the GIC that risk point the

[56:20] cost the risk pool is much larger because we're joining a larger number of

[56:25] people the 13 cities the 34 or so towns across the state and by having that

[56:30] larger risk pool that's hopefully going to drive costs down on the other side of

[56:35] the equation um is not just the cost for you but as a self-insured entity the

[56:41] town pays for portion of the claims that people have. So that cost gets bumped to

[56:47] to the you know the insurance provider the employer. So we pay money for those

[56:53] claims. So, also what we're seeing on the other side when we're trying to

[56:57] manage our health insurance trust is that we have the money coming in from

[57:00] from you guys, the money that's already there, and then we have these rising

[57:04] claims costs and claims bills that we have to pay each month and that's

[57:09] draining things at a pretty fast rate, faster than what we would like them to

[57:12] be. So, in order to maintain our current situation, we would have to raise it

[57:17] even more, those individual premiums. So hopefully with this what we're doing is

[57:23] we're shifting that struct that part of the structure for the town for

[57:26] sustainability purposes of paying those claims. We're shifting those over to the

[57:31] GIC. So any claims that people are having and that fall to the employer

[57:36] then they would be picked up by the GIC as opposed to the town. So it's a it's a

[57:40] cost savings to the town that way. >> Yeah.

[57:43] » This total one does total choice does that have is

[57:47] it only split? Yeah, >> the total choice is only a 50/50 split.

[57:52] So that's the indemnity plan. So that one that one there is it's a very

[57:57] expensive plan. So when the when the insurance advisory committee, they call

[58:01] it the PE now met and took a look at um the different plans, one of the things

[58:06] that was agreed to was that the indemnity plan and the PO plan that's

[58:11] offered here that offers sort of that national coverage would be at the rate

[58:15] of a 50/50 cost sharing split. So when you look at the so for like a family

[58:22] on the indemnity plan when we look at the cost comparison there um to our PO

[58:29] plan which would be the most comparable thing now. So to get something close to

[58:32] the indemnity plan you would have to be on our PO plan. So if you're on a family

[58:37] PO the cost to someone like like you would be $700.40 40 cents uh each

[58:44] paycheck, which is kind of crazy, right? With this one, um it it it reduced down

[58:50] to a lower amount. Um but it's $1926 savings. So, there's a difference there.

[58:58] Sorry, I got stumbled there because I have this thing that's blocking my

[59:02] slide.

[59:05] » It's not. So, the the Harvard Pilgrim PO, the one that's up at the top, that

[59:10] one too is also a 50-50 cost sharing split.

[59:15] Okay. Yes.

[59:22] » Yes. So, if you're Yep. So, if you're a retiree um who is on Medicare enhanced

[59:31] um and you and your spouse are both there, both you and your spouse will

[59:35] have to enroll in a GIC plan separately. So, each of you will have to go on the

[59:40] computer, you know, one at a time if you only have one computer, just one at a

[59:44] time, and you'll have to enroll and then your spouse will have to enroll and they

[59:48] both will come out of your pension. Yes. Question.

[59:57] Can each spouse what? Yes. Yep. Yep. So, you'll be eligible.

[1:00:04] That's a good question.

[1:00:08] Yes. The questions. This one. >> Okay.

[1:00:18] Perfect.

[1:00:22] And uh yeah,

[1:00:30] » so if that's the case, you're going to need to have a that copy of that divorce

[1:00:33] decree as your supporting material to cover your spouse when you when you sign

[1:00:39] up or when they sign up. So if you're of Medicare age,

[1:00:43] um sorry, I moved closer, but I want to be on the microphone. Um,

[1:00:51] so if what you would need to do for them is they would have to have a copy of

[1:00:55] your divorce decree. Um, and then they would use that as their supporting

[1:00:59] documentation for when they enroll.

[1:01:07] » Yes. Yep. You're welcome. All right. Perfect. Any other questions? I see that

[1:01:14] the room's moving a little bit. We're at the end. Yeah.

[1:01:25] Yes. So, a dependent will be a spouse or children in most circumstances. There

[1:01:29] can be others, but I don't think we have any across the town.

[1:01:40] » Just the marriage license. If there are if there are kids involved, then the

[1:01:43] kids need the birth certificate. So, the birth certificate is used as the backup

[1:01:48] because that's saying that they're your kids.

[1:01:56] » That does all >> goes over five of the eight plans.

[1:02:05] » Yep. I'll have to take a look at that one. It It should be It should be all of

[1:02:08] them, but if you if you bring it up, then I can take a look at it. We can get

[1:02:12] you another one. >> Perfect.

[1:02:15] All right, >> there are several questions on the Zoom

[1:02:18] call. >> Are they going to be answered?

[1:02:34] » Yeah. So if you're if the if your husband was the retiree and and he he is

[1:02:39] now deceased and you're you're still covered by the town, you would choose

[1:02:44] your you would choose a new plan the same as everybody else here and you

[1:02:48] could maintain your coverage level. Okay.

[1:02:57] No, no, no. Yes.

[1:03:12] So if if you're

[1:03:17] » Yes. So if you if if if you're a Medicare age person and they're a

[1:03:22] Medicare age person, then they don't need they don't need to provide any

[1:03:26] marriage certificate because they're on their own plan.

[1:03:30] » Yes.

[1:03:33] No, no.

[1:03:38] Medicare folks are special because they're all on their own plans. The

[1:03:42] marriage certificate proves you're dependent. Even though they're getting

[1:03:46] their insurance coverage through your benefit, your spouse, they are on their

[1:03:51] own plan. So, they have their own plan with the town of Belmont separate from

[1:03:54] you. We don't need the marriage certificate.

[1:03:57] No. Yeah. Great. Awesome. Any other questions from folks? Yes.

[1:04:11] » You're just scanning. Yeah. So, a copy is copy should be perfectly fine if you

[1:04:16] have a copy at home.

[1:04:20] » No, you would only have to go and pursue a town hall if if you didn't have a

[1:04:25] copy. And if that was too difficult, Chris, then we could probably just see

[1:04:30] our, you know, see if we have it here, you know. Oh, you got it here in

[1:04:33] Belmont.

[1:04:37] » Oh, perfect. All right. So, it's not too not too big of a lift then. Yeah. Okay.

[1:04:42] All right. You're welcome. You're welcome. All right. Thank you everybody.

[1:04:48] Sorry that sort of broke up at the end, but lost control of the crowd.

[1:04:53] Yes. that is

[1:04:57] » the retiree split. So, the retiree split. Um, and then for the folks on

[1:05:02] Zoom, if you want to hang out for just a second, um, perhaps I can, um, answer

[1:05:08] some questions for you in just a minute. Yes.

[1:05:13] Retirey split. So, it's the same that it is now, right?

[1:05:16] » Um, so are you over 65 or under 65? Medicare. So, let me go back here. Let's

[1:05:22] see. So, how this rate is calculated?

[1:05:29] See, there we go. So, we get the rate from the um the

[1:05:36] total cost here. So, this is what the plan costs here

[1:05:39] and then there's a 50% subsidy of the Medicare part B base rate. But whatever

[1:05:46] the Medicare Part B base rate is here, 20290 that comes from the federal

[1:05:51] government, we give you 50% of that back and that's taken off of the premium.

[1:06:00] » 5050 split. >> Not quite.

[1:06:05] » Not quite. Depends on depends on this. So, a 50-50 split of the Medicare rate

[1:06:11] and then that that subsidy gets applied to whatever the GIC is charging. Okay?

[1:06:17] So, it's a 50/50 of the of the federal government of their rate that they set

[1:06:22] every year and then that is then subtracted from the GIC's overall. Okay.

[1:06:29] » Yes, >> I could probably get the but only

[1:06:34] Yeah, this is an interesting one. So, we'll see. You might be looking at the

[1:06:38] wrong Are you looking at um like wanting to get a comparison like this

[1:06:42] » comparison? With all eight >> all eight. You may have to slide on the

[1:06:46] computer. >> You may have to slide over to see it.

[1:06:49] » Gotcha. >> Um I'm not sure why it printed out like

[1:06:52] that, >> but

[1:06:55] that's what I would imagine because it looks like it goes over a little bit

[1:06:58] further. >> It looks like what it is.

[1:07:00] » It doesn't here. No, I totally see that. I thought you were looking at this one

[1:07:04] here. >> No,

[1:07:05] » so if you go on to the GIC's website, >> right?

[1:07:10] » And I'll show you here. >> Actually, could you print up the other

[1:07:13] one that just come bring it up so I can take a picture of it?

[1:07:17] » Yeah, sure. Which one? >> The uh one for employees.

[1:07:21] » So, not that one. This one's you.

[1:07:26] » Yeah. And I'll go on the website, but thank you very much. Perfect.

[1:07:31] I asked you before we went over these.

[1:07:37] » Yeah, I can do that with you. Let me just try to turn the Zoom off.

[1:07:46] » Thank you. >> Amazing.

[1:07:48] » Thank you. >> Yeah.

[1:07:49] » Well, we'll do it all again. presented. Um,

[1:07:53] yeah, if you guys have questions, I know Jeff was saying maybe

[1:07:57] » we should just add a comment about the H and the holidays that the retirees are

[1:08:05] going to get. >> Oh, that's right. Yeah.

[1:08:07] » So, we could talk about that. Okay. For the next

[1:08:10] » Perfect. Sounds good. >> Really?

[1:08:12] » Thank you, S.

[1:08:33] So, do the folks that are on Zoom, I don't know if you can hear me or not

[1:08:37] very well. The room's kind of loud now, but do you have any questions?

[1:08:43] » I do. This is Linda Shaughnessy. >> Somebody might be trying to talk. Hold

[1:08:46] on just a second. This is Linda Shaughnessy.

[1:08:55] » Can you hear me now?

[1:09:00] » I'll be right back. We just have some folks on the Zoom. I just want to see if

[1:09:04] they have any questions, then I'll come right back. Okay.

[1:09:10] » Can you hear me, Mitch? >> Hold on. I'm going into a quieter room.

[1:09:13] I apologize for all the technology difficulties, but yes, I now can hear

[1:09:18] you, Linda. Right. >> Yes. I just have a a quick question

[1:09:23] about um my spouse. So, I saw figures for we live out of state, so I would

[1:09:30] need >> to continue the hobbit pilgrim that I

[1:09:33] have. Um what would the spouse cost be >> because I know that's different from the

[1:09:39] employee cost. So, um, so you retired, Linda, did you

[1:09:44] say? >> Yes.

[1:09:46] » Okay. So, you're a retiree living out of state. Um, and then for your spouse as

[1:09:51] well. And are you under 65? >> No, we're both over 65.

[1:09:56] » Both on Medicare. So, you would have two of those plans. So, if you have a

[1:10:01] spouse, it would work the same as it works now. So, those Medicare rates

[1:10:05] would be doubled. So, right now, I think we're at I think it's 258, I want to

[1:10:09] say, is what's coming out of your paycheck um for the if you're on the

[1:10:13] Harvard Pilgrim at least, and that's what comes out of your paycheck for two

[1:10:17] plans, but those are two individual plans that we just combined together as

[1:10:22] one deduction rate. So, we're going to do the same thing for whichever um plan

[1:10:28] it is that that you choose. >> So, I would just take the number and

[1:10:32] double it that that's on the slide. Just take the number and then you would

[1:10:35] double it, right? >> Perfect. All right.

[1:10:39] » Yep. Great question. That's a good one. >> That was easy.

[1:10:42] » All right. Very good. >> That's all I had. Thank you so much.

[1:10:46] Great job, by the way. >> Oh, thank you. Hopefully, you were able

[1:10:48] to hear it all. [laughter] >> I could I could

[1:10:51] » Oh, good. Good. Good. That was my main worry. The computer wasn't uh the screen

[1:10:55] wasn't working in the room, so we were just on the laptop. But I won't keep

[1:10:59] you. But thank you for the question. >> Thank you.

[1:11:02] » Okay. Anybody else? >> Yes, I have a question.

[1:11:05] » Could you possibly email or make available somehow online that cost sheet

[1:11:12] that you showed? >> Yes, those are all going to be on our um

[1:11:17] Give me a second here so you can see. Let me share my screen again.

[1:11:26] So, let's see. Perfect. So, if you were just to go on

[1:11:31] to the town of Belmont. >> Yeah.

[1:11:36] » So, we just Google that. The first thing that should come up is the town's

[1:11:39] website. >> Yeah.

[1:11:42] » And then to get all the GIC information, it's all managed by our HR department.

[1:11:48] » Um, so we go to departments, human resources.

[1:11:51] » Yeah. >> And then right over on that left hand

[1:11:55] side there >> is the group insurance commission.

[1:11:58] » Yeah. So, right here is where we're going to put all of the um all of the

[1:12:03] information. >> So, all the rate sheets are going to be

[1:12:05] there and then all of um the the presentation from today is going to be

[1:12:09] there. Um >> okay.

[1:12:11] » So, that's where we're going to put all the resources.

[1:12:13] » All right. And then the other question is if I'm signing up for a family plan,

[1:12:20] myself and my husband, is it one application or two separate ones?

[1:12:25] » It will be two. So, if you're on if you're both on a Medicare plan or even

[1:12:29] if one of you is on a Medicare plan and one of you is on a non-Medicare plan.

[1:12:33] » No, we're both on we're not on Medicare yet.

[1:12:36] » Oh, you're both not on Medicare yet, right?

[1:12:39] » Um, so in that case, both of you Well, if he's coming on as a dependent in that

[1:12:43] case, then it would just be one one plan. What you would need to provide is

[1:12:47] you would need to provide a copy of your marriage certificate,

[1:12:51] » right? >> So, that's the one thing that you'll

[1:12:53] probably have to get. So for even for retirees that you know um that that is

[1:12:58] still something that you're going to need if you have a dependent.

[1:13:01] » Okay. >> The confusing thing is for people that

[1:13:03] are 65 and over on Medicare because they have two different plans, two individual

[1:13:08] plans, but it comes out as one deduction. So a little tricky and both

[1:13:12] of those individuals have to apply separately.

[1:13:15] » Okay. Thank you. >> You're welcome.

[1:13:20] » Hi Mitch. Um can you hear me? This is Chris comment. Uh,

[1:13:24] » hi Chris. >> Hi. How are you?

[1:13:26] » Good. >> Good. Um, thank you for the

[1:13:28] presentation. I just have one quick question. Um, so I understand so, so my

[1:13:34] spouse is on Medicare. I am not. I understand that we have to fill out

[1:13:40] applications separately. My question is, how is she defined on the application?

[1:13:46] Because she was not a Belmont employee. Um, and they usually don't include like,

[1:13:53] you know, spouse, you know, of a retired employee as a box to check.

[1:13:59] » Yeah. So, she would just be an employee. >> Okay.

[1:14:03] » So, we're going to we're going to list um people in your situation, we're going

[1:14:08] to list them as just regular employees, even though they didn't work here,

[1:14:13] » but they have their own individual plan with us. So, that's how that would work

[1:14:17] out. Um, the GIC does like to know who, you know, a survivor is. So, we'll

[1:14:23] probably have to update that information with them if if that happens.

[1:14:28] » Okay. >> Yeah.

[1:14:29] » Just thinking through my mind, but I'm saying that I'm saying, "Oh, that

[1:14:31] doesn't sound all that great." I didn't mean any offense by it, but if if that

[1:14:35] happens and your spouse becomes a survivor, then we may have to change

[1:14:38] their their group, but that doesn't really affect them or you all that much,

[1:14:42] but you would still be applying separately.

[1:14:45] » Okay? Okay. And I'll and check the employee box for her even though she

[1:14:48] wasn't an employee. Okay. >> Yes, that's my understanding right now.

[1:14:52] If anything changes um and they're giving you a hard time and um you know,

[1:14:56] we'll we'll update you then. But that's my understanding right now.

[1:14:59] » Yeah. I just don't want to get in trouble for, you know, lying on the

[1:15:02] application. [laughter] >> No, no, no. You won't get in trouble for

[1:15:05] that. No, blame me. >> All right. Okay. Thank you, Mitch.

[1:15:09] » You're welcome. >> Hi, Mitch. It's Joan Watts.

[1:15:12] » Oh, Joan, it's good to see you. Oh, I'm glad to be here. Thanks for being sure I

[1:15:17] got the link. Um, I'm still working on not on that issue with not having

[1:15:23] Medicare Part B. And I called Medicare and they won't give me such a letter.

[1:15:29] But then I've been told by another source that the letter has to come from

[1:15:34] the town of Belmont saying that I did not need um Medicare Part B because I

[1:15:41] was being covered by my medical insurance from Harvard.

[1:15:45] » Oh, okay. Well, >> so that

[1:15:48] » I'll check >> what I'll do, Joan, is um I will check

[1:15:54] with with the folks over at the GIC now that they told you that um and see if

[1:16:00] it's something we can do for you. Um I would imagine I would imagine that the

[1:16:05] le letter will have to come from Medicare though because they're the ones

[1:16:09] that are saying that you're eligible or not. But um I will ask them.

[1:16:13] » They're saying I am they're saying that I am entitled to it now. But um then

[1:16:18] other sources say but I don't have to have it because I had um good coverage

[1:16:24] from Harvard through the town. >> Oh. Oh okay. So you are eligible for

[1:16:30] Medicare now >> because I turned 65. They said I could

[1:16:34] have taken it then. And now they're saying that I since I didn't have to I

[1:16:38] have to pay an enrollment penalty which is going to be over $400 a month.

[1:16:45] » Oh dear. That's not that's not >> If we can work around that with the

[1:16:49] information I have that the town of Belmont can say I didn't need to because

[1:16:54] I was deployed for those 26 28 years. >> I understand. Yes. So we have done like

[1:17:01] that for people in the past. But then what that would mean, Joan, is you would

[1:17:04] have to enroll in Medicare.

[1:17:09] We can talk more. Joan, why don't can you give me a call maybe later this

[1:17:13] afternoon? >> Sure. Sure.

[1:17:15] » And we can we'll talk it through then because I don't want to go over your

[1:17:17] whole situation. >> I know. I just want

[1:17:20] » in front of everybody else. But yes, that's a good update.

[1:17:23] » Yeah. I just wanted to give you some more information as I'm trying to muddle

[1:17:27] my way through this. >> I know it. I know it. Well, hang in

[1:17:30] there and keep me updated like you do and we'll get through it.

[1:17:34] » Thank you so much. And I thought if we could see each other face to face, it

[1:17:37] would help. >> Oh, it's very pleasant to get to see

[1:17:40] you, Joan. Thanks. >> Thank you. Thank you very much, Mitch.

[1:17:43] Take good care. >> You, too.

[1:17:45] » Bye. >> Bye.

[1:17:51] And does anybody else on Zoom that's that's still there um have any questions

[1:17:56] that they want answered at this time?

[1:18:01] I will say and I'll move through this a little bit here for the people that are

[1:18:05] on that are on Zoom um that this here is our contact information.

[1:18:12] So if you do have any additional questions um feel free to reach out

[1:18:16] directly to anybody on that page or to the human resources office generally and

[1:18:22] we'll do our best to talk through um your situations.

[1:18:29] But if there aren't any more questions, um, then I will end the meeting for us

[1:18:34] all. And like I said, uh, thank you very much for taking the time, um, to come to

[1:18:39] the information session. If you want to come to more information sessions, feel

[1:18:42] free. Um, and just know that we're here, um, to try to help you throughout this

[1:18:46] entire process.

[1:18:51] » So, thank you all and, um, have a good rest of the day. I'm gonna end the

[1:18:54] meeting. of this year.

GIC Information Session 9-2-2026

Transcript