If you have Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield coverage and have been impacted by the breakdown in negotiations between Stellaris Health Network and the insurance company - please advise me of your experiences. After I sent the following e mail to Mark Wagar, President of Empire, I received a call from him. He agreed to meet with me and fellow Town Supervisors and Mayors on August 11th at Greenburgh Town Hall. To help me prepare for the meeting - I'd like to share with him some of the personal hardships residents and employees are experiencing due to this dispute. Please e mail me at pfeiner@greenburghny.com
Mark Wagar, President & CEO
Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield
One Liberty Plaza
New York, NY 10006
mark.wagar@empireblue.com
Dear Mr. Wagar,
I am writing to express my concern that negotiations between Empire BlueCross BlueShield and Stellaris Health Network have not reached a successful conclusion. It is not acceptable to the town of Greenburgh that our employees do not have access to the four (4) hospitals that comprise the Stellaris Health Network.
The provider network that we originally bought from Empire BlueCross BlueShield is not the network of providers that we can now access. The exclusion of Lawrence Hospital Center, Northern Westchester Hospital, Phelps Memorial Hospital Center, and White Plains Hospital Center, severely restricts the choice of hospitals where our employees can seek their medical care.
Representatives from a majority of the towns and municipalities throughout Westchester County recently hosted a meeting with representatives from Stellaris and the network’s hospitals. Those in attendance now have a better understanding of the issues that challenge the hospitals and why they cannot accept inadequate rates of reimbursement. It is unfortunate that Stellaris is not sure that your organizations will ever reach an agreement. There is no doubt in any of our minds that it would be better for our employees, and for that matter, all of the residents of Westchester County if the Stellaris Health Network Hospitals were participating provider with Empire BlueCross Blue Shield.
In the meantime, however, there continues to be limited access to high quality hospitals in the area. Therefore, I request that you make yourself available for an in-person meeting to further discuss the situation and the impact on the town of Greenburgh. I would be pleased to arrange meetings with the other Town Supervisors and Mayors who currently offer employees Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield. Please contact my office at 914-993-1540 to arrange a time to meet.
Sincerely,
PAUL FEINER
HOW TO CUT ENERGY COSTS
~ Attention business owners and managers ~
Are your utility bills too high?
Would you like to reduce your operating expenses?
Do you want to improve cash flow while greening your business?
Excellent incentives are available for a limited time through
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and Con Ed that provide:
--Free energy assessments or low-cost energy audits to identify opportunities to save on energy costs
--Up to 70% incentives for energy efficient lighting, select equipment and space cooling
--Cash rebates for new high-efficiency restaurant equipment
--Reduced costs for solar system installation.
Come hear from representatives of Con Ed, NYSERDA, and local business
owners who have taken advantage of these opportunities
________________________________________________
~ Wednesday, August 11th at 3:00 ~
Dobbs Ferry Public Library, 55 Main Street, Dobbs Ferry
Sponsored by: Dobbs Ferry Energy Task Force, Dobbs Ferry Downtown Improvement Committee,
Greenburgh Climate Action Task Force, Hastings Chamber of Commerce, Hastings Conservation Commission,
Irvington Chamber of Commerce, Irvington Green Policy Task Force, Irvington Business Improvement Committee,
Sleepy Hollow Chamber of Commerce, Tarrytown Environmental Advisory Council, Westchester Green Business Challenge
Refreshments courtesy of the Riviera Bake House
For further information contact Holly Malekian at 693-6113 or hmalekian@aol.com
Allegra Dengler
Energy Conservation Coordinator
Town of Greenburgh
993-1649
UPDATE FISHER AVE BRIDGE REPAIRS
Paul,
Work last Monday night was successful in determining the structural soundness of the existing concrete substructure. We are meeting this week with the design team to review the test results and finalize the plans for the bridge repairs. The outcome of this meeting is expected to present a final timetable to perform the repairs necessary to restore the bridge to full service.
Victor G. Carosi, P.E.
Commissioner of Public Works
Town of Greenburgh
177 Hillside Avenue, Greenburgh, NY 10607
From: Paul Feiner [mailto:pfeiner@greenburghny.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 12:17 PM
To: Supervisor External Account
Subject: fisher ave bridge
THE FISHERLANE BRIDGEUPDATE—BRIDGE THAT CONNECTS TO N WHITE PLAINSTRAIN STATION
Fisher Lane Bridge required emergency inspection and evaluation by a professional engineering firm due to deterioration of structural members observed by the Town Engineer and Commissioner of Public Works, Victor Carosi. In response to the observations, the Town contracted with WSP-Sells to perform a full inspection and evaluation of the bridge. This inspection identified and documented defects requiring the immediate closure of one lane to traffic and a weight limitation posting to the remaining single lane. WSP-Sells also provided a detour and coordination assistance to the Town with adjacent municipalities and other agencies for the lane closure.
Additional engineering services are now required to resolve the immediate observed structural defects to return the bridge to two-way traffic while further engineering studies are undertaken assessing the long-term design needs of this bridge. The Town has WSP-Sells to provide Engineering Design Services for recommended repairs to the Fisher Lane Bridge in accordance with their proposal of May 7, 2010 for $16,500. Once the study is complete additional funding will have to be authorized for the repairs.
PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh Town Supervisor
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