Cayuga County shifts retirees to Medicare Advantage plan to cut costs

Cayuga County lawmakers are considering moving Medicare-eligible retirees from the county’s Excellus BlueCross BlueShield plan to a Medicare Advantage plan, such as Medicare Blue PPO, starting January 1. County officials cited rapidly increasing retiree health insurance costs as the reason for the proposed change. The county is also considering a $155,000 budget transfer to cover overtime costs at the Cayuga County Jail caused by staffing vacancies.

The shift represents a significant local budgetary change aimed at reducing public health insurance expenditures for county retirees. This move is part of a larger legislative agenda that also includes proposals to address public safety staffing and operational costs within Cayuga County.