Carver Select Board Unanimously Approves Maya Health Insurance Amid 27 Percent Rate Hike

CARVER -- April 10, 2026, Carver Select Board unanimously approves new municipal health insurance plan with increases up to 27 percent. The board voted 5-0 at its April 10 meeting to move employees and retirees from the dissolving Gateway Health Group consortium to Maya Health Benefits Trust, the insurance arm of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, effective July 1, 2026. Health plan consultant Sue Shea of the HILB Group told the board that two competing carriers had quoted rate increases of 50 percent, making Maya's 27 percent hike on the base HMO plan the most favorable available option. The board approved four Blue Cross Blue Shield plan tiers, including a new $2,500-deductible high-deductible option, plus a stand-alone Altus dental contract at a 7 percent increase. Board member John Cotter raised concern that the board lacked a full cost model before voting, saying "we have a gun to our heads," but acknowledged the choice was effectively binary. Finance Director Karen Prebble is working with Shea to produce a finalized employee-facing rate breakdown before open enrollment opens at the end of April.