I recently had the opportunity to review the bids submitted for the city health care plan. I decided to pull out my crystal ball, look into the future, and observe some of the speeches that we will hear from the administration and council members after the contract is awarded.
“Thank you Council President. First, I want to thank Mayor Avedisan and the majority of my colleagues on the council for making it look like we are looking out for the best interest of Warwick taxpayers. The fact that I get to vote on my own top-of-the-line city paid healthcare plan while rejecting the outrageous suggestion that I pay a 25% healthcare co-pay is truly a unique opportunity. It is really a gift that keeps on giving.”
“Mr. President, one of the real reasons I could never vote to switch from Blue Cross to another provider is because Blue Cross healthcare coverage is as Rhode Island as coffee milk, a low number license plate, and a state or municipal pension before the age of fifty.”
“Mr. President, even though we never had any intention of changing from Blue Cross we should take pride in the fact that we once again forced them to lower their administrative fees. It doesn’t matter that we failed to look at the difference in discount rates. Yes, I understand that just a 1% difference in the rate can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings. But that stuff is too complicated and I don’t understand much of this anyway.”
“Mr. President it also doesn’t matter Blue Cross is forcing us to be part of a consortium of smaller cities and towns to get their best deal. I understand that Warwick is large enough to get the best deal directly from each provider but it is only costing a few more thousand dollars in added fees per month. No one will notice. No one really cared when we passed the municipal contracts with those ridiculously low fixed co-pays for the next three years. Taxpayers will simply pay 100% of the future increase in healthcare costs. As the Beatles once so eloquently put it–‘Let it be’.”
“Mr. President, I think we would be remiss if we didn’t thank the other competitors, United Healthcare and Tufts simply for bidding. Even though we known they will never get the contract in the City of Warwick, we hope in the future they will once again submit a bid so we can pretend there was a meaningful process and maintain the illusion that we are doing our due diligence for the taxpayers.”
“Yes Mr. President, without them we still would be paying those arbitrary inflated fees Blue Cross was gouging the city with just two years ago. Thankfully, we didn’t give Blue Cross the three year, no bid contract extension former Council President Don Torres recommended. Now that was a pretty reckless, irresponsible and dumb idea.”
“Mr. President we need to remind the taxpayers that even though United’s administrative fees are $75,000 cheaper then Blue Cross, that’s a small price to pay to keep our employees happy and guarantee the unions support us next year when we run for re-election or state wide office.”
“Yes, Mr. President as my colleague just stated, I do understand we could have used that $75,000 in savings to restore the funds we cut from the little league programs. But look at all those kids having such a great time selling that cookie dough around the neighborhoods. Look at the Gaspee Day Committee selling 4,500 feet for $1 each so they can paint the red, white and blue strip for the parade down Narragansett Parkway. That’s the kind of community spirit we should all be proud of. Why should they feel entitled to receiving support from the city? We don’t want to spoil them with giveaways the way we do the municipal unions.”
“Great job everybody keep up the good work. Meeting adjourned.”
Robert Cushman is a former Warwick City Councilman and former Chairman of the Warwick School Committee, direct comments to him at CushmanR@cox.net.
