Lyndeborough is retaining its current health insurance program with SchoolCare’s Green Plan through the end of 2026, but will need to look at alternative options next year as the plan is discontinuing.

The town is also receiving $92,000 for a dump truck the Select Board chose not to salvage.

Town Health Insurance

At the town’s April 1 Select Board meeting, board members voted to keep the current health insurance plan.

Town Administrator Geoffrey Allen said the town has been using SchoolCare’s Green Plan.

“Rates for the Green Plan went up 12.6% this year,” he said, telling the board the town is in its open enrollment period and has the option to switch plans.

“If we switch plans however, we can’t go back to the Green Plan as they’re discontinuing it,” he said.

Allen noted the town was already grandfathered into the Green Plan, but SchoolCare wants the program terminated. “The rates will continue increasing until everyone is priced out of the plan,” he said.

He presented the board with five options. In addition to SchoolCare’s two Yellow Plans and Orange Plan, Allen said the town can keep the Green Plan or look to outside vendors.

The Yellow 2.0 Choice plan offers individual employees a $1,500 deductible and families a $3,000 deductible.

According to Allen, if employees take a health assessment to activate the choice portion, SchoolCare will cover $1,000 of the individual and $2,000 for the family deductible.

“The town cannot cover the cost of the deductible in this plan,” Allen said. “SchoolCare will cover the deductible, but we can’t.”

Allen said the Yellow 2.0 Choice plan will save the town $51,000 a year.

SchoolCare’s second option, the Yellow 2.0 No Choice plan, offers the same deductibles as the Choice Plan. However, while the town can cover the deductible, SchoolCare cannot.

Allen said using the No Choice plan would save the town $78,000 if no deductibles are covered.

The Orange plan offers a $2,500 individual deductible and a $5,000 family one. The town can also cover these deductibles, while SchoolCare cannot.

“Under the Orange plan, the town will save $95,000,” Allen said. Even if it covers all eligible deductibles, he said the town would still save over $60,000 based on current coverage levels.

The Yellow 2.0 No Choice and the Orange plan also offer employees Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Agreements, both of which would alleviate healthcare expenses, he added.

A caveat Allen mentioned is an increased copay. Under both yellow plans, individuals and families would have to pay a 20% copay up to $3,000 and $6,000, respectively for all hospital, emergency and urgent care visits. For the Orange plan, they would have to pay 20% up to $5,000 and $10,000, respectively.

The Green plan only has a $50 copay for hospital and emergency visits and $25 for urgent care.

Allen recommended the town make a sub-committee to conduct a wage study over the summer.

“We don’t want to lower health insurance benefits for employees unless we adjust wages as well,” he said. “We should put together a sub-committee that goes to other towns and gathers information of the impact different plans have on town employees.”

“Without the wage study, my thoughts are stay with the Green Plan for now,” Select Board member Shane Meltzer said.

Member Bob Howe seconded the sentiment. “I think we should stay with the Green Plan until the committee can tell us the results of the wage study.”

The Select Board ultimately stayed with the Green Plan and suggested the town look at outside vendors over the next year while undergoing the wage study.

Dump Truck

Allen said a town-owned dump truck has been in the repair shop three times since getting in an accident over a year ago.

“Every time we get the truck back, it has new issues,” he said.

The truck’s most recent issue was a faulty transfer case, a $20,000 repair.

“Advantage Truck Group in Manchester provided two options; a totaled price of $92,600 or a salvage price of $52,782,” Allen said. “If we take the salvage price, we get the $52,000 and can repair the truck ourselves.”

Allen spoke to locals who said they could repair the truck, but the issues would likely persist.

He said the town could do without the truck for another year and have the a special town meeting to appropriate money for a new truck or use the $92,000 as a down payment for a lease.

The Select Board opted for the totaled price.