Philadelphia is one of the more political cities that I have worked in.
One question, Councilman, that you may be able to asks Mrs. Berkowitz. Since she says she has worked under three administrations, I would like to know what the name of the plan administrator for the medical plan for the City of Philadelphia.
The plan administrator. Who was the plan administrator during any one of those administrations?
Is there an answer to that, Miss Berkowitz? 155 9/20/01 LAW & GOV'T RES. 00476
Working for the City? In previous administrations, it was Lee White. It is currently Dennis Norwood.
I have finally gotten an answer that has taken me three years to get. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Chairman. It's really a comment. I've been sitting here all day and listening to this. I've been involved personally with every FOP City of Philadelphia contract since 1990 and, basically, I came down to three As today: The audacity of the City of Philadelphia to sit here during these hearings, which we compliment your committees on in uncovering, their audacity to say with what has been uncovered that they can handle the plans better than the four unions can handle it, and they sit here and still make that alleged 156 9/20/01 LAW & GOV'T RES. 00476 remark; the arrogance after every committee member -- Councilman Ortiz, Councilman Rizzo, yourself, Councilman Nutter -- could not figure out the arrangement with Capital Management, and one of them, Councilman Ortiz, made the comment, "This may even sound criminal." Well, the City has the arrogance to come back in here today and say they're making the same arrangement now with another carrier or another TPA; it's absolutely absurd. And most important, this separates the unions from the City-managed people: Accountability. Not once from any City representative sitting here today did I hear, We are going to ask the people that are affected what do they think? Would they like a higher payroll deduction or lower benefits? We're going to hold meetings to find out what their input is because they're the ones that are affected. I think, Mr. Chairman, you said that at the first meeting, accountability. The union members can vote us out if we're not accountable to them. The City-managed people, and we used it in one of our exhibits, they just simply come along, lower benefits, and increase payroll deductions, and 157 9/20/01 LAW & GOV'T RES. 00476 they say, If you don't like it, quit. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (Applause.)
Thank you, Mr. Lamb. But there was one -- I think you should take Mr. Lamb's statement not as a rhetorical statement, but it's the kind of question our office gets all the time. I understand from our legal and technical staff that they get questions, people call in but I did have one question that Mr. Lamb reminded me of. You did make the statement that you are convinced that the benefits offered by the City plan are better than the benefits offered by DC 47. I would just like to know on what basis do you so conclude?
Based on the information I have, and a representative from District Council 47 advised me that he believes that there are -- that some of the information that was provided to me in the comparison that was prepared for the City is incorrect, and I have agreed to sit down when I come back from vacation and meet with him because if it is incorrect, I want to know that. 158 9/20/01 LAW & GOV'T RES. 00476 But, again, I am going to being looking again also to the City Controller because, as Mr. Scaperatto expressed to you, that is something that is one of the issues that they're going to be looking at.
So I am anxious -- again, I am one of the people -- one of the non-represented people enrolled in the City-administered plan so I am interested in getting better coverage at a lower cost too.
Well, it would seem to me that you have had the availability of the information on the DC 47 plan. The City sits on every board of the four union plans and you would know that it's better. Tell me what was untrue about plan. We would also be interested.
Councilman, I don't know that; that's why I'm going to be sitting down with a representative from DC 47.
I said it was based on the information that I had for me. I'm allowed to 159 9/20/01 LAW & GOV'T RES. 00476 conclude for me that the plan that I am enrolled in is better. If somebody -- if I am open to receiving information that can dissuade me of that.
All right. I have a great difficulty following that. On that note, this hearing will stand in recess until Thursday, October 11th, at 1 p.m. Thank you all for your patience. (Hearing ends at 4:33 p.m.) - - - 160 9/20/01 LAW & GOV'T RES. 00476 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia's meeting of the Council Committee on Law and Government held on Thursday, September 20, 2001, at 1:00 p.m, are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. RE: Resolution No.000476 _______________________________, Josephine Cardillo Registered Professional Reporter and Notary Public (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)