Lawyers argue for Woychio’s release from home confinement

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Clinton’s speech in Scranton expected to focus on Pennsylvania jobs

WRIGHT TWP. &#8212; Crestwood School District&#8217;s freshly-replaced insurance broker, Creative Benefits Inc., did &#8220;due diligence&#8221; in recommending the district go with full insurance from a company rather than self-insuring, Senior Benefits Consultant Carolyn McLaughlin-Smith said Thursday.And yes, she noted, she is the wife of the district&#8217;s former superintendent.&#8220;I totally respect the district&#8217;s right to change brokers,&#8221; McLaughlin-Smith said, referring to the board&#8217;s June 30 vote to replace Creative Benefits with OneSource Benefit Solutions as insurance broker. &#8220;I do not want people to think we did not do our job.&#8221;McLaughlin-Smith said her company had looked at multiple options and insurance carriers for the district, including both full insurance through a company like Blue Cross and self insurance. Self insurance, which is what the district went with through OneSource, means the district is responsible for paying claims. The district buys stop-loss insurance to cover claims above a certain threshold.Solicitor Jack Dean said Wednesday that the switch is expected to save the district about $690,000, but McLaughlin-Smith said that, when Creative Benefits looked at the self-insurance option, the company determined it would be too costly and risky for the district.&#8220;The information we got on stop-loss cost was significantly higher than for the full insurance option,&#8221; she said.&#8220;I wish them the best of luck, I hope it all works out,&#8221; McLaughlin-Smith said, &#8220;I just want to make sure people know we did our due diligence.&#8221;Stressing she didn&#8217;t know the details of the numbers the district used to determine the savings, McLaughlin-Smith noted there should essentially be two numbers in making the decision to self-insure: What it could cost, and what you expect it to cost. &#8220;Three isn&#8217;t just one number.&#8221;That&#8217;s because basing cost solely on the claims filed in previous years is no guarantee. If a few employees have catastrophic health problems that make costs soar, any projected savings can be wiped out.McLaughlin-Smith also said her relationship with then-Superintendent Dave McLaughlin-Smith was clearly spelled out when the board voted to hire Creative Benefits at a meeting in February 2013.&#8220;When we set up our relationship with the district we were very transparent.&#8221;The agenda on the district website for the 2013 board meeting includes a note regarding the relationship. A video of the meeting also on the website, shows that, while the relationship was not verbally mentioned, when the agenda was reviewed prior to votes no one asked about the relationship noted in print.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Mark Guydishmguydish@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</shirttailMeta></div>

Former insurance broker for Crestwood defends work