Lycoming County Commissioners Scott Metzger, Rick Mirabito, and Tony Musaret have announced plans to construct a one-of-a-kind medical facility in collaboration with a New Jersey-based company. The facility will be exclusively available to Lycoming County workers, retirees, and their dependents. To fund this project, taxpayers have donated $3 million, and the company will receive $1.5 million to $2 million annually for operating expenses.
The medical facility will have ten full-time professionals available seven days a week to provide unlimited and free access to doctor visits, prescriptions, lab tests, x-rays, physical therapy, mental/behavioral health services, and more. Despite the significant expense, the commissioners claim that this project will decrease the county’s current employee medical spending.
However, some may question the decision to spend taxpayer money on a specialized facility for county employees and their dependents. As a result, some may wonder why this expenditure was never discussed in public town hall meetings or included as a poll question.
Additionally, some may argue that a more straightforward solution to reducing medical expenditures would be to stop offering free lifetime health insurance to county employees, including the commissioners themselves. Ultimately, only time will tell if this new medical facility will prove to be a wise investment for Lycoming County.