Council 93 Objects to GIC Process to Change Public Employee Health Insurance Coverage

On Thursday morning, the Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission (GIC) voted to eliminate Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare and Fallon Health from the group of GIC healthcare providers. The changes will become effective July 1, 2018.

The board of commissioners, including the AFSCME representative and other labor representatives on the board, were not notified of the pending vote until the night before. This last minute notification left little time to sufficiently analyze the proposal or solicit input on it. As a result, all labor representatives voted AGAINST the move to eliminate Harvard Pilgrim and Fallon Health.

However, the proposal still passed by an 8-5 margin.

After the vote, AFSCME Council 93 was quick to voice its displeasure with the GIC process and spoke out forcefully in an interview with the State House News Service. (Read Article HERE) Council 93 has been a longtime critic of the way the GIC operates in respect to access to hearings, public notice of meeting agendas, and the general manner in which the GIC treats the public whom it is appointed to serve.

It's important to note that GIC officials maintain this move should minimize overall plan cost increases and may reduce out-of-pocket expenses on co-pays and deductibles. They also claim it should NOT disrupt individual doctor and hospital choices. Moving forward, we will be working to hold them accountable to these claims. We will also continue our aggressive legislative efforts to increase the number of labor representatives on the board of commissioners to offset the unfair majority of management representatives on the board.

AFSCME Council 93 has been working in coalition with other public-sector unions on legislation that would help stop cost shifting by increasing labor's representation on the GIC board, cap annual out-of-pocket expenses, and place all state and higher education workers at an 80/20 premium contribution rate split. Council 93 is working hard at the State House, but it is important that the GIC hears from the workers that are directly impacted by the policies and decisions made by the commissioners.