Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C,I-Corning) today attended a press conference to push bipartisan legislation that would allow local governments, school districts and public authorities to enroll in countywide, self-insured health plans. Spreading risk over a larger number of employee beneficiaries would decrease municipal spending on health insurance, one of the largest cost drivers for local governments.

“This common-sense legislation will protect taxpayers by helping towns and villages control skyrocketing insurance costs,” said Palmesano. “If we are going to encourage municipalities to fund their operations and services through capped tax revenues, we need to get creative about how we are going to help them cut costs. This is exactly the sort of mandate relief our communities need in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions.”

“County self-insured health plans provide the widest array of benefits at the lowest cost. By joining these plans, localities of all sizes will be able to further spread risk, save money and keep within the tax cap while still offering the services our families have come to rely on,” said Assemblymember Phil Steck (D-Colonie), prime sponsor of the bill.

“This legislation has the potential to reduce local health insurance costs, one of the largest and fastest rising components of every city and village budget in this state,” said Peter Baynes, Executive Director, New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM). “Removing barriers to form efficient inter-municipal partnerships, such as this bill seeks to do, should be encouraged. The Conference of Mayors, therefore, strongly supports this pro-taxpayer legislation and urges its approval by the Senate and Assembly.”

“This bill is one of the most important pieces of mandate relief legislation,” said Stephen J. Acquario, Executive Director, New York State Association of Counties. “The state has asked local governments to do more shared services. We’d like the state to reform archaic and unnecessary barriers that prevent municipalities from working together to benefit taxpayers.”