The Belmont teachers’ contract expired last summer. Negotiations have dragged on for nearly a year, yet one of the biggest issues affecting both employees and taxpayers remains undiscussed: joining the state Group Insurance Commission (GIC).
Three years after the town-commissioned Structural Change Impact Group report projected at least $2.4 million in annual savings, and recent Warrant Committee reports urged deeper fiscal reviews, the Select Board has never placed the GIC on a meeting agenda.
Many candidates, once elected, promised they would “look at it.” Nothing has happened.
This isn’t about cutting benefits. It’s about three reasonable steps that have been ignored:
1. A thorough, up-to-date financial evaluation of self-insurance versus GIC costs.
2. A side-by-side comparison of actual benefits and provider networks.
3. Real engagement with our unions so any transition protects or improves coverage.
Lexington switched to the GIC in 2012, projecting $2.6 million in savings for the town and $1.9 million in savings for employees/retirees over three years through lower premiums and economies of scale—benefits I understand have held as Lexington continues administering coverage via GIC plans today. Like dozens of other Massachusetts municipalities, they wouldn’t have made the move without real, tangible expected cost savings.
Belmont simply refuses to do the homework—acting on outdated assumptions instead of benchmarks from peers like Lexington.
With premiums rising again and the Health Insurance Trust Fund shrinking, the cost of inaction grows every month. The disappointment is palpable: our educators asked a direct question in good faith, and the answer has been nearly three years of quiet deferral.
It’s time for the Select Board to schedule a public GIC presentation and commit to the three steps above before these negotiations conclude. Residents and employees deserve that much.
Paul Joy, Harvard Road