Irwindale : Citywide Health Insurance

The city is examining the feasibility of buying health insurance for its 1,000 residents, according to City Manager Charles R. Martin.

Martin said the City Council last month asked him to investigate such a plan. He said city officials are talking to insurance companies to find out whether the proposal to offer medical, dental and optical coverage could work.

Under state law, policyholders would have to be members of a homeowner’s association to qualify for the free insurance, Martin said. A survey will be taken of city residents’ vital statistics and health histories to determine the potential cost of the policy.

Martin said that he did not know of any other city with complete coverage for its residents, but that such a plan could work in a city with a population as small as Irwindale’s. Many residents have voiced approval for the idea, he said.