Carver Voters Approve $4 Million to Rescue Employees From Health Insurance Crisis

CARVER -- April 7, 2026, Carver voters approved nearly $4 million in emergency health insurance funding at a marathon April 7 town meeting, rescuing municipal and school employees whose claims had gone unpaid under the collapsing Gateway Health Group. Town Administrator Glenn Cannon told the roughly 150 voters that Carver's share of a roughly $7 million regional insurance deficit was projected at $4 million, that providers had stopped covering some services, and that employees had been placed in collections. Two motions passed, $1,510,295 raised and appropriated for FY2027 (118-30) and $2,489,705 transferred from FY2026 free cash and the solar net metering revolving fund to cover outstanding FY2026 claims (120-17), with Cannon calling the situation "a failure of the consultant" and saying it had kept him awake at night. The Gateway Group dissolves June 30; Carver joins the Municipal Interlocking Insurance Association on July 1 under a fully insured, two-year rate plan. Separately, a $1,331,750 capital borrowing article was split for individual votes: five items passed the required two-thirds threshold, but a $141,750 school bus (96-51) and an $80,000 middle-high school weight room (67-82) both failed. A free cash article saw three floor amendments redistribute $20,000 among tree removal, a compensated absences fund, and Old Home Day fireworks before passing 131-21, ultimately landing at $27,500 for trees, still well below the $30,000 the DPW had requested.