Orzechowski presents Monessen insurance contract details
By KRISTIE LINDEN
klinden@yourmvi.com
Monessen Council discussed the former health insurance contract after Councilman Tony Orzechowski brought information to this week’s council meeting.
The main question has been why 25 Medicare-eligible retirees were kept on full-coverage plans and Orzechowski said he did some research with those most involved with those negotiations, the insurance broker and officials from Benecon-Pennsylvania Municipal Health Insurance Cooperative.
Orzechowski said he learned the city had concerns at the time about administering more than one plan at one time and all three groups of employees, those still working, retirees and Medicare-eligible retirees were entitled to the exact same benefits under their contracts. He said the move also saved the city money at the time.
Councilman Don Gregor, Mayor Matt Shorraw and city Administrator John Harhai have maintained that the move would have cost the city an extra $450,000 over the life of the contract.
The members of council’s majority seemed to mock Orzechowski for needing to do research to find this information about what led to the contract even though he signed it.
Orzechowski presented other information about the city’s insurance issues with Benecon-PMHIC at the meeting as well.
In December, council revealed the city had been dropped by Benecon for nonpayment of bills. Several employees filed grievances over the cancellation and change in healthcare.
In that meeting, Harhai said the bill had been not been paid on and off all year. He said the city still owed one month’s bill at the time from 2020 and two months’ bills from 2019. The insurance contract didn’t go into effect until 2020.
According to a final termination letter Orzechowski read from Tuesday night, the months the bills weren’t paid were April, August and November 2020.
To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Thursday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.
See the video from last night’s meeting at www.monvalleyindependent.com.
