Health Insurance

Waynesboro Area School District teachers on Wednesday rejected two “bottom-line” proposals, continuing a contract impasse that has lasted for almost two years. The Waynesboro Area School Board developed the proposals Tuesday based on sessions mediated by a former superintendent of another school district. Board members rejected the actual written proposal from the mediation because they said it was inaccurate, but they did pass two possible agreements onto the teachers union.

After four days of testimony, a Washington County Circuit Court judge last week acquitted a Washington, D.C., couple accused of misusing employee health-premium contributions two years ago while working at the Hagerstown Hotel and Conference Center. Yasaman Rowhani and Hassan Mohammadi were indicted in 2011 on one count each of theft scheme of more than $500 and conspiracy to commit theft of more than $500. The indictments alleged the misuse of approximately $18,000 in employee contributions between January and June 2009 that were to have paid the health care premiums of the employees at the hotel and conference center on Dual Highway, according to an Aug. 4, 2011, news release from the U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration.

Too much change, not enough hope To the editor: It's official; President Obama's mantra and vision for “hope” and “change” is 50 percent accurate. Considering that meteorologists (previously known as weathermen) are generally thought of as being the only occupation where you can be less than 50 percent accurate and still keep your job, our hats are off to you, Mr. President! Despite “hope” falling by the wayside, the amount of “change,” which has been drastic, should make up for the loss of hope.

“I think the city should have an electronic display next to the speed trap camera on Northern Avenue. That way, the taxpayers and the fine payers can see how much revenue the city is lining its coffers with.” - Hagerstown “With reference to Allan Powell's article on the Opinion page, April 13, when the unions, made up of people, can - to donate unlimited amounts of money to political candidates, why can't corporations made up...

Hagerstown will continue to provide health insurance to its employees through a partially self-funded arrangement for fiscal 2012-13, according to city officials. As a way to control costs, no changes to medical or dental coverages are being recommended. The city Health Care Committee will continue to monitor and evaluate cost-effective benefit plans for employees. Under the current union contract, employee and retiree premiums will remain unchanged for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. The committee also proposed a change to the city's contribution to medical coverage for employees enrolled in the Plus Medical Plan.

Richard Brown does not support the U.S. health care law in its current state. “I want the government to pay for health insurance,” he said. “I think it's unconstitutional for the government to force people to pay for their own insurance.” Brown, 52, was among the Hagerstown residents who offered their opinions Wednesday on whether Congress was within its rights to pass the health care bill signed into law by President Obama in 2010. He said that he would support an individual mandate if the government paid for everybody's health care.

The Washington County Board of Commissioners and county school officials on Tuesday acknowledged the possibility of teacher pension costs being shifted from the state to local jurisdictions in the coming fiscal year, but there was little talk about those costs during a presentation of the school system's budget. County officials asked few questions about the Washington County Board Education's $246 million balanced budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1, thanking the school board for the good working relationship between them.

Maggie Silva of Shippensburg, Pa. said her family moved from Cuba to the United States in 1950, and she supports the Tea Party because she does not want the United States to end up like her home country. “My father was born in Spain, and he lost it to communism. I was born in Cuba because he emigrated, and we lost Cuba in 1958,” she said. “Now we live in the United States, and I don't want to lose it.” Silva, 80, joined the Tea Party contingent from Hagerstown Tuesday in traveling toWashington, D.C., to join the Hands Off Our Healthcare Rally held by Americans For Prosperity on Capitol Hill.