Commissioners Briefed on Medicare Supplemental Plan for Retirees

Forsyth County commissioners received a briefing from Jason Brady of Northwestern Benefit on a Medicare Supplemental Plan for retirees at the Oct. 25 work session.

The plan was available through Humana in 2010, but it was discontinued due to lack of participation. Brady said there are now some 25 products on the market, each with different criteria, but the commissioners would have to decide whether to include the cost in the county budget or if a plan would be voluntary.

Brady recommended quarterly seminars/employee meetings to educate retirees on what is available. Supplemental policies in Georgia are Blue Cross, United Healthcare, Mutual of Omaha, Humana and Hartford.

Commissioner Jim Boff indicated he would like to see the seminars be made available to the public. Commissioners took no action and the issue will be brought back to the work session of Nov. 8.

Cumming Mayor Ford Gravitt updated commissioners on the city's SPLOST VII projects and expressed his support for the referendum.

In other action before the board, commissioners:

Approved a resolution to allow Fire Chief Danny Bowman to to dispose of 21,000 feet of old fire hose and the old fire safety house;

Approved Bowman's request to purchase three acres of Matt Community Park from the county's Parks & Recreation Department as the future site of Fire Station 3 from SPLOST VI funds;

Directed the county procurement director to advertise a bid for the construction of the two-bay fire station at a cost not to exceed $1,300,000;

Authorized an additional $52,800 in attorneys’ fees in the Riverkeeper litigation.