The state has a lot to answer for (and fix) regarding the ongoing budget crisis. But local governments also have a responsibility and a role to play in helping Rhode Island get through this ordeal. So what’s up with Warwick?
Last week the City Council voted to re-start the process of accepting bids for health insurance coverage for its employees, despite having three bids on the table. The apparent low bidder, UnitedHealthcare of New England, offered a plan that looks a lot like the coverage the company provides for state employees.
If this story sounds familiar, it is. Last year, Warwick gave Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island a one-year extension on its contract even though United came in with a lower bid.
Even in the best of times, this behavior would be questionable. Within the context of the state’s budget crisis, it is outrageous.
In an interview with Providence Business News, Gov. Donald L. Carcieri said that the state’s towns could more than absorb the $14 million cut he is proposing in state aid to municipalities, if they would agree to UnitedHealthcare’s offer of group coverage.
We are left wondering when Rhode Island’s towns and cities are going to recognize that the state’s budget problems are theirs as well? •
