Press-Republican

Local News

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
comments powered by Disqus
November 20, 2008

Franklin County may open health plan to towns

By DENISE A. RAYMO

HARRIETSTOWN — Franklin County has set its health-insurance premiums and may offer its self-insurance program to interested municipalities.

The suggestion was made following a report from Legislator Timothy Burpoe (D-Saranac Lake) about an informal county-budget session held earlier this month at the Harrietstown Town Hall.

Harrietstown Town Supervisor Larry Miller was one of a handful of people who attended that session.

Burpoe said Miller suggested a brainstorming session where town leaders from the county's south end could meet to find ways to share services, cut costs and possibly consolidate.

That's when County Finance Committee Chairman Earl Lavoie said one area where the entities might save could be with medical care.

He said it may "benefit the town to roll into our health-care self insurance."

The insurance-premiums schedule for 2009 was recently adopted by legislators.

"Health-insurance rates are only going up 5 percent this year," said Republican Legislator Paul Maroun of Tupper Lake. "Other counties are up 8, 10 or 12 percent. This is good news."

The monthly rates for active employees are $540.14 for individuals and $1,523.73 for a family.

Under the 1986 Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) regulations for coverage after a person leaves employment, the individual rate is $441.14 and $1,195.10.

Those insured in special districts, such as the County Industrial Development Agency and County Tourism Office, are charged $599.38 a month as an individual and $1,561.09 for a family plan.

Retiree benefits cost $176.66 a month for an individual who does not receive Medicare, $353.25 for a retiree and their spouse without Medicare, $409 for a non-Medicare retiree family plan, $145 for an individual retiree with Medicare, $290.75 for a retiree with spouse with Medicare and $311.92 for a retiree and family with Medicare coverage.

In other action, legislators:

•  Urged Sen. Betty Little (R-Queensbury) and Assemblywoman Janet Duprey (R-Peru) to back a bill from Binghamton Republican Sen. Tom Libous to retain the same funding level in the 2009-10 state budget for the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program as it was in 2008-09.

•  Appointed Boyce Sherwin and William Cross to one-year terms on the County Industrial Development Agency Board of Directors, to expire Nov. 30, 2009.

•  Rescinded a resolution made Oct. 16 to transfer $3,164 from the general fund to the Retired Senior Volunteer Program to cover a shortfall to reimburse mileage expenses to Meals on Wheels drivers. Enough money was found to last until the end of the calendar year, but it is expected to be brought up again at the end of February.

E-mail Denise A. Raymo at: draymo@pressrepublican.com

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local News

Recent Article Comments
Albany Round-up

Photo of the Day
Strange News
Videos: Editor Picks
Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48 Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine Recording Superstar Whitney Houston Dead at 48 Maine GOP Chairman Says Romney Wins Caucuses Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion' 5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La. Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal $25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses