Massena looking at nearly 11% increase in health insurance costs for village employees

MASSENA — The village of Massena’s health insurance costs are on the rise.

“Our health insurance provider, Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, updates premiums on a calendar year basis. We will see an increase in the premium costs of 10.4% for fiscal year 2025-2026, January to May, and fiscal year 2026-2027, June to December,” Treasurer Kevin M. Felt said in his written report to the village board.

He said rates will increase from $697.13 to $769.49 for employees, from $1,394.26 to $1,538.98 for employee and spouse, from $1,185.12 to $1,308.14 for employee and children, and from $1,986.82 to $2,193.05 for family.

Felt said they’re also looking at increases in the village’s Prescription and Medicare Supplement Plan.

“The Prescription and Medicare Supplement Plan for employees, retirees and/or spouses, age 65 and over from United Healthcare also runs on a calendar basis,” he said.

The United Healthcare Plan will increase 27.9%, from $448.53 to $573.52, while the AARP Plan will increase 6.4%, from $362 to $385.

The increases come at a time when the village is also facing double-digit increases in retirement costs for the 2025-26 budget year. Felt provided trustees with those numbers in November.

“For the Employees’ Retirement System, it is $532,615, a 14% increase compared to last year’s actual bill, and for the Police and Fire Retirement System, the bill is $886,028, a 19% increase compared to last year’s actual bill,“ he said.

Felt said the numbers were based on the rates released by the state retirement system and salaries for the period April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025, which is the village’s fiscal year.

Although payment is not due until February, he paid the invoice in December so the village could receive a $10,201 discount for paying it earlier.

Those numbers are unchanged from the estimated retirement payments issued by the Comptroller’s Office, which he had reported on in October.

During the latest meeting, Felt also reported that the Department of Public Works had just received a new dump truck, which was made possible through American Rescue Plan Act funding.

“With the latest dump truck that was just received by DPW, the village has now fully expended all of the ARPA it received,” he said. “I will put together a summary for the board to show where all the money has been spent.”

The American Rescue Plan Act was a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package signed in March 2021, providing direct aid, funding for state/local governments, support for businesses, and investments in public health, infrastructure and social programs to combat the pandemic’s economic and health impacts, including funds for vaccinations, housing assistance, and expanded tax credits for families.

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