In the spring of 2010 the Somerville Board of Aldermen adopted Chapter 32B Section 19 that allows the City to enter coalition bargaining with the City and School represented employees and retirees around entering the state’s Group Insurance Commission (GIC). The purpose of this webpage is to provide all City and School Employees and Retirees with information about the GIC. In addition to this website, the City Benefit Team is available to answer questions regarding GIC.

(GIC Benefit Decision Guide)

Overview of Group Insurance Commission

• The GIC's FY11 appropriation is $1.6 billion.
• The GIC covers over 185,000 subscribers and over 350,000 lives.
• The mission of the GIC is to deliver high quality care at reasonable costs.
• Insures 4 cities, 15 towns, 7 regional school districts, and 4 charter schools and planning councils.

The GIC Employee Benefits-at-a-Glance can be viewed here and the Medicare Benefits-at-a-Glance here.
 
GIC’s health plans have earned the distinction of being among the top ten commercial health plans in the country ~U.S. News & World Report

Two of the GIC’s plans earned a top 10 ranking for their Medicare HMO plans and two for their Medicaid offerings ~National Committee for Quality Assurance  

Top 10 Medicare HMO Plans of 166 ranked
#2 Fallon Community Health Plan (not offered by City)
#4 Tufts Health Plan

Top 10 Medicaid HMO Plans of 82 ranked
#3 Fallon Community Health Plan (not offered by City)
#4 Neighborhood Health Plan (not offered by City) 

Top 10 Commercial Plans of 239 ranked
#1 Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
#3 Tufts Health Plan
#7 Fallon Community Health Plan (not offered by City)
#8 Health New England (not offered by City)
#12 Blue Cross Blue Shield (offered by City but NOT GIC)