Palmyra CEO Bud Wethington said Tuesday he’d made the offer on behalf of the hospital while discussing the county’s employee benefit plan with broker Kirk Rouse of Doherty, Duggan & Rouse and with Assistant County Administrator Thomas Thomas.
“We’re not asking for exclusivity; we just want to be part of the solution for county employees,” Wethington said. “There’s no reason the county can’t have a plan that benefits their employees, the taxpayers and both hospitals.”
Rouse, who did not return a message seeking comment Tuesday, has been negotiating as the county’s representative a comprehensive plan that will provide the most coverage at the least expense to taxpayers. Wethington said he expects Palmyra to “be at the table” when Rouse makes a recommendation to the County Commission at its work session Monday.
“Kirk told me he’d taken the rates we’d proposed to the TPA (third-party administrator) for comparison, and that our rates ‘looked very good’,” Wethington said. “I asked him if he meant our rates were ‘good,’ and he said ‘No, very good.’
“I have every confidence that we will be at the table when the county plan is submitted. We will meet the needs of the county and its employees.”
Thomas, who is working with the county through Oct. 31 before leaving to take a position in Macon, said he and Rouse were “finalizing some items” in preparation for next week’s commission work session.
“There are one or two items we’re still working on, but I expect to have those taken care of by the end of the week,” Thomas said. “I fully expect we’ll take a recommendation to the commission Monday.”
Wethington said Palmyra cannot compete equally with Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital because “Phoebe will not allow (carrier) Blue Cross/Blue Shield to contract with us.” The Palmyra chief said that is the basis of an ongoing antitrust lawsuit his facility has filed against Phoebe.
“We can’t really say a lot about that at this juncture because it is a legal matter,” Wethington said. “But the gist of our suit is that Phoebe is exercising a monopoly over health care in the community.”
Wethington said the legal matters have “progressed to the first inning of a long ball game.”
The city of Albany, which with the Water, Gas & Light Commission is part of a collective employee health program with the county but has a separate broker, recently reached an agreement with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Georgia that makes Phoebe its in-network provider and Palmyra an out-of-network provider. As it has with the county, Phoebe sought exclusive coverage of city employees.
“We agreed to drop out-of- pocket costs to city employees, so in effect we’re providing the same or better care (than Phoebe) for a lesser payment,” Wethington said. “At the end of the day, we’re absorbing the greater costs to match the benefits for city employees.
“That’s why we’re making an aggressive push to be a part of the county (health benefits) plan. If we’re able to bring in additional patients, prosper and grow, we’re going to pay more in property taxes to the county. We can give the county employees choice in their health coverage while increasing tax revenues.”
Palmyra has filed its fourth certificate of need to provide obstetrics care, but the outcome of its application is still up in the air. Phoebe has until Oct. 26 to contest the application.
“It could take as long as two years to go through this process, or if there is no opposition, we could have a ruling by Christmas,” Palmyra Public Information Director Eric Riggle said. “If we get quick approval, we could be ready to deliver babies by the third quarter of ’09.”
As the county readies its vote on the health plan, many have questioned the ethical implications of County Commissioner Dr. Chuck Lingle, who is on the Albany- Dougherty Hospital Authority, voting on a matter that affects the local hospitals.
But Commission Chair Jeff Sinyard said Tuesday Lingle serves on the board as a representative of the county.
“The charter that governs that board calls for a member of the County Commission to be a member; it’s been that way since the charter’s been in place,” Sinyard said. “Dr. Lingle is there to represent the interests of the commission.
“If it wasn’t him, there would be another member of the commission on the board. So, no, there is no conflict in his voting on matters such as this. Like the other members of the commission, I’m sure Dr. Lingle is going to represent the county as a business. We’re going to make a business decision; we’ll vote for the best product at the best price.”
If work on the health care plan is finished in time, a binding vote could be taken at the County Commission’s Oct. 20 business session.
