WHEREAS, The City provides health coverage including prescription, dental, and vision plans to all active employees who are not represented by unions as well as those employees who have opted out of their union health plan; and
WHEREAS, Employees contribution and co-payment costs in the last calendar year under the City-administered health plan have doubled and in some cases tripled from the previous year; and
WHEREAS, Retirees under the City plan receive less health coverage than the active employees in their job classifications, which is in direct contrast to coverage provided in the union plans; and
WHEREAS, In one year, the City-administered prescription plan has tripled its co-pays, has created a confusing three-tier system for such co-payments based on whether a medication is generic, formulary or non-formulary, and has never issued a list to the employees about which medications fall into the various categories. Moreover, the City-administered mail order prescription service only provides information to City employees when the night pharmacists are on duty, between 9 PM and 9 AM; and
WHEREAS, At least one group of city employees, covered by AFSCME District Council 47, has almost identical demographic characteristics to the employees in the City-administered plan, yet has no employee contribution, lower co-payments and more comprehensive coverage for less money than the cost of the City-administered plan; and
WHEREAS, City Council has the power and obligation to assure that taxpayer dollars are spent prudently and wisely, and providing the best and most services for the least cost, now therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby authorizes its Committee on Law and Government to investigate whether the City-administered health plan currently and in the past has provided the most comprehensive and cost-efficient coverage to City employees for the premiums paid, and whether the City could provide more comprehensive and less costly coverage to the approximately 8000 employees and retirees currently covered by this plan, if other options were pursued.
RESOLVED FURTHER, That in furtherance of its investigation the Committee is empowered to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents and other evidence at any meeting of the committee to the full extent, and in the manner, authorized by Section 2-401 of the Home Rule Charter.
End