EASTON, Pa. — Northampton County Council on Thursday once again voted against establishing a healthcare clinic open only to county employees.
The vote sets up a fight over the proposal in the 2026 municipal elections.
The body voted 5-4 to reject a five-year, $3.8 million contract with Hamilton, New Jersey-based Integrity Health to help set up, then operate, the health center.
It would have offered county employees primary care and urgent care services without charging a copay.
County Executive Lamont McClure introduced the proposal nearly two years ago, pitching it as a way to reign in rapidly ballooning spending on employee health care.
“If we don't get a hold of health care and take a step, or a leap of faith, or whatever you want to call it… I think you’re looking at tax increases in the future. I just think we all should just take a leap of faith here and try this.”Northampton County Commissioner Ken Kraft
Because Northampton County is self-insured, the administration is directly responsible for picking up the bill when an employee visits a doctor.
The partnership health center would see the county pay for doctors’ salaries, the cost of equipment and the clinic building.
As a result, the county could essentially provide its employees medical care at cost, plus a $722,000 annual management fee paid to Integrity.
Every time an employee visits the clinic for care instead of visiting another provider such as an urgent care or an emergency room, the county saves the difference between its cost of providing care and whatever the other doctor would have charged.
The more employees who use the health center, the more the county would save.
McClure said he “has become convinced” that opening the clinic would save $5 million to $10 million over five years.
But savings cannot be guaranteed, Integrity Health Vice President of Government Relations Mark Caliguire said, even though all of the company’s clients have saved money so far.
For savings to materialize, enough employees would have to choose the county clinic over other providers to offset Integrity’s annual fee.
'A leap of faith'
In the face of that uncertainty, the council was divided Thursday on whether it was a good idea to take the plunge.
“If we don't get a hold of health care and take a step, or a leap of faith, or whatever you want to call it… I think you’re looking at tax increases in the future,” Commissioner Ken Kraft said.
“I just think we all should just take a leap of faith here and try this.”
“So what we'll do is we'll have it be an election issue next year. I'll go to the people and I'll campaign on it, and we might see it again in 2026.”Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure
Commissioner John Goffredo, who voted against the proposal, took the opposite view, and likened approving the clinic to placing a bet.
He said he opposed a government getting involved in delivering health care.
“Every one of my instincts is telling me it’s a bad idea,” Goffredo said. “I do not think turning this down will result in increased taxes.”
With a signature proposal back on ice, McClure vowed to make the health center an issue in the 2026 municipal election, when he and the five at-large members of County Council all will be up for re-election.
“The Republicans and Lori Vargo Heffner killed the opportunity to save millions of dollars for taxpayers and improve employees’ health outcomes,” McClure said.
“So what we'll do is we'll have it be an election issue next year. I'll go to the people and I'll campaign on it, and we might see it again in 2026.”
Commissioner Jeffrey Corpora, who ran for Nazareth Borough Council as a Democrat in 2023, also voted Thursday night to not approve the clinic contract Thursday night.
