The Civic Engagement Committee of EnvisionArlington held a forum on insurance on July 7. At that forum, former Town Meeting member Andrew Fischer made a presentation giving his views about insurance and self-insurance. Fischer also wrote to YourArlington as follows:

“Insurance is a major expense for most households, but we are not privy to much information about where our money goes or the major causes of claims specific to our own community.  

“This is because most of our insurance system is managed by a large number of public and private organizations who have little relationship with local communities. With self-insurance, the process becomes a community function; self-insured employer-based plans show how this works. 

Fischer concluded, “This perspective is entirely lacking in the political debate on how to improve the insurance system. Arlington could be a leader by shedding light on an insurance model based on local control and that appeals to both the left and the right.” The issue of self-insurance was briefly addressed earlier this year at Town Meeting, but no action was taken.

Fischer said 11 people attended the meeting. The accompanying video he provided to YourArlington, which is available on YouTube and which includes a slide presentation and a question-and-answer session, is approximately an hour long.

Watch Andrew Fischer’s video about insurance:

Article 14 of 2022 Town Meeting >>

This news announcement was published Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, based on information from Andrew Fischer.