BY ADAM ATKINSON
North Country This Week

POTSDAM — The village may join an insurance cooperative arrangement with Broome County to provide benefits for its retirees.

At the village board of trustees meeting June 21, the board approved a resolution which will allow the municipality to have the option of signing on to the Broome County Purchasing Alliance (BCPA), starting Jan. 1, 2023.

Broome County contracts with United HealthCare for Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Benefit Plans for Medicare primary retirees of any of the municipalities which are part of the BCPA.

Like other towns, villages and counties which are part of the BCPA, the village of Potsdam, if it joins, would be able to form its own contract under the program with United HealthCare to secure its preferred pricing and coverage for eligible retirees.

“This just allows us to explore the option of joining with Broome County,” Village Clerk Lori Queor told the board. “St. Lawrence County right now is also looking at doing this for their Medicare retirees.”

“Currently we have an AARP supplement plan that once you turn 65 and you get Medicare, we take you off our Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield which is quite expensive monthly and we put you on the supplement plan through AARP which is a lot cheaper. This program (BCPA) would be even a little cheaper than the AARP plan,” Queor told the board.