Group Health Insurance Information

Group Health Insurance


The City currently offers Group Health Insurance to eligible employees and retirees through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC). The City covers 80% of the cost share for HMO plans and 50% for PPO and Indemnity Plans.

New Hires - Newly hired benefited employees have up to 10 days from their date of hire to submit a completed a GIC enrollment form, along with applicable documentation, to the Human Resources Department. New employee coverage begins on the first day of the month following 60 calendar days from the first day of employment, or two calendar months, whichever comes first.

Qualifying Status Change (Qualifying Event) - Employees who have a Qualifying Status Change can enroll in GIC health insurance, cancel coverage, and add or remove spouses and dependents, depending on the type of event . Documentation of the qualifying status change and a completed change form must be submitted to Human Resources so that it is received by the GIC within 60 days  of the event. Please contact Human Resources to see if your event is considered a Qualifying Status Change.

Open Enrollment - Employees and retirees can makes changes to their plans during the open enrollment period. Open Enrollment runs during the month of April, and changes are made effective on the following July 1st.

City Retirees - City Retirees and Survivors who opt to cancel their health insurance coverage cannot rejoin the City's group policy at any time.

Please Contact The Human Resources Department at 413-587-1258 for any questions regarding Group Health Insurance.

Group Health Insurance Documents

Retiree Form: Retiree GIC Enrollment/Change Form (PDF)

Employee Form: Employee GIC Enrollment/Change Form (PDF)

Monthly rates for GIC plans can be found here: GIC Rates 2019-2020 (PDF)

The GIC Decision Guide can be found here: GIC Decision Guide 2019-2020 (PDF)

Copay Reimbursement

 The City will reimburse certain co-pays for employees and retirees on the City's Group Health Insurance:

Process for Reimbursement of Co-Pays (PDF)