VILLAS — As health insurance premiums continue to rise, Township Council passed three resolutions Oct. 20 to change employee health benefits.
“The last couple years we’ve been in the State Healthcare Benefits Program, and in 2024 it increased over 7 percent,” Mayor Frank Sippel said. “In 2025 it increased over 16 percent, and for 2026 they want to give us a 36.9 percent increase.”
Sippel noted that over the past three years, the price for health care went up 60 percent, and to move to a different plan, council would have to vote on a resolution.
Council voted unanimously to terminate all participation under the State Health Benefits Program, including drug plans and dental coverage.
Sippel said Township Administrator Mike Laffey reached out to the township’s medical consultant to look for another provider that offers at equal or better coverage for township employees, adding that council agreed that it is important for employees and their families to have proper health insurance.
Council unanimously awarded a contract to AmeriHealth for health insurance coverage and awarded a contract to Braven Health for prescription coverage for retired employees.
“We have had some bad experience for the past several years and have been unable to get quotes with outside entities other than the State Health Benefits Plan,” Laffey said. “I’m going to set up meetings with [the] unions to discuss the plan moving forward in the next two months and hopefully we’ll save the employees, as well as the township, more money by going with a different plan.”
Sippel said he had read that several municipalities in Cape May County were leaving the state plan.
Laffey said now that the township can get quotes from outside entities, they will continue to try to secure the best possible plan for employees and a reasonable plan for taxpayers.
“Every year, we’re going to take a hard look at what insurance we can provide to our employees.” Laffey added.
Other business
Sippel said Lower Township was preparing to continue to share Code Blue warming center services with Middle Township.
“We’ll be doing that again and we rotate every month,” Sippel said. “Our location has not changed — Seashore Community Church in Erma, starting in November.”
Lower Township’s responsibility also will be scheduled for January and March.
New Jersey’s Code Blue alerts are activated when temperatures drop below 32 degrees with precipitation or below 25 degrees without precipitation. The Code Blue timeframe typically runs from Nov. 1 to March 1.
Resident Joanne Rietheimer inquired about proposals she submitted about installing Little Free Libraries for children in the area playgrounds.
“I was told it was an issue that needed to come before the council,” she said.
Laffey said there were concerns regarding who would be putting books in the libraries.
“It’s a great idea, I see them all over in a lot of places,” Laffey said. “We are concerned about sponsoring [it] and having the wrong material put in those libraries. Hopefully we can come up with a happy medium and do something moving forward.”
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Star and Wave
