Statewide Purchasing Alliance of New York (SPANY)

A Proven, Evolving Solution for Retiree Healthcare

Built by Local Governments. Powered by Collective Strength. Delivering Unmatched Savings and Security.

From One County’s Challenge to a Statewide Movement

The Statewide Purchasing Alliance of New York (SPANY) was built on a simple but powerful belief: local governments can achieve more together than they ever could alone.

What began as the Broome County Purchasing Alliance (BCPA) in 2021 — a pilot project designed by Doug Bulman, Founder of SPANY, and launched in partnership with County Executive Jason Garnar and his leadership team — has evolved into one of the most innovative and effective retiree healthcare solutions in New York State.

The mission was clear from the start: confront the unsustainable rise in retiree healthcare costs and restore control to municipalities. The solution was transformative — a cooperative Medicare Advantage and Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) purchasing model that pools the buying power of towns, villages, cities, counties, and school districts to deliver better benefits, lower premiums, and long-term budget stability.

What started as one county’s bold experiment is now a statewide movement reshaping how local governments protect retirees and taxpayers.

The Results Speak for Themselves

The cooperative model has proven itself again and again. Across New York, SPANY’s alliance members are achieving average savings of more than 25% on retiree health premiums — all while maintaining or enhancing coverage for retirees.

The impact is real and measurable:

• Broome County: Over $20 million kept in local communities since inception

• Chemung County: $2.3 million in cumulative MAPD savings

• Tioga County: $3.2 million in cumulative MAPD savings

• Lewis County: $4.2 million in cumulative MAPD savings

And this is just the beginning. Every year, more towns, villages, cities, counties, and school districts join SPANY, expanding its reach and multiplying its impact.

How the Alliance Works – A Simple, Powerful Model

At its core, SPANY operates on a principle that is as powerful as it is simple: shared strength creates shared success. By joining together, local governments form a unified purchasing block — one that commands greater leverage with carriers, stabilizes costs, and eliminates the uncertainty of annual negotiations.

Here’s how the model works:

• 🛠️ Pooled Purchasing Power – Each participating entity joins a collective MAPD purchasing group. This unified approach secures rates and benefits that no single municipality could negotiate on its own.

• 📊 Collective Leverage – Every new participant strengthens the Alliance’s negotiating position, driving even more competitive pricing and better plan terms for all members.

• ⚖️ Equitable Savings – All entities — large or small — share equally in the savings generated by the Alliance. The model is designed to ensure that participation benefits every member community, regardless of size or population.

• 🔄 Tailored Implementation – Each municipality retains the same plan structure it already offers, ensuring continuity for retirees while immediately reducing costs.

• 📈 Evolving Design – The program continuously adapts to federal policy changes, market trends, and member needs — delivering a sustainable, future-proof solution.

This is not a one-size-fits-all program. It’s a shared solution that scales with every new member, designed to strengthen local control and protect taxpayer dollars.

Why SPANY Works for Every Municipality

SPANY was built by and for local governments — and it’s designed to meet their real-world challenges head-on:

• ✅ Guaranteed Stability – A 7.5% maximum rate cap through 2027 ends the annual cycle of uncertainty and allows for accurate, long-term budget planning.

• ✅ Shared Strength – Every new municipality increases the Alliance’s negotiating leverage, driving down costs and improving outcomes for all participants.

• ✅ No Risk, No Lock-In – Municipalities can join without long-term contracts or upfront commitments. Savings are immediate, and participation is flexible.

• ✅ Continuity of Care – Retirees keep their trusted providers and often gain enhanced benefits — with no disruption and no loss of choice.

• ✅ Documented Results – Tens of millions in savings have already been delivered across New York, protecting local budgets while strengthening retiree healthcare.

• ✅ Shared Savings – All members share equally in the savings created by the Alliance, ensuring equitable benefit regardless of size or geography.

An Alliance That Grows Stronger Every Year

Every new participant in SPANY doesn’t just benefit from the Alliance — they strengthen it. With each municipality that joins, the program’s purchasing power grows, its negotiating position deepens, and its impact expands.

This is more than pooled purchasing. It’s a collective movement — built on shared power, shared savings, and shared success — that is redefining how retiree healthcare is delivered in New York State.

The Future of Retiree Healthcare in New York

SPANY represents more than a new way to buy retiree healthcare — it represents a new era of control for local governments. Together, municipalities across New York have ended the guesswork, stopped the endless back-and-forth with carriers, and created a model that keeps resources where they belong: in local communities.

For every town, village, city, county, or school district, SPANY is not just a purchasing program. It’s a proven solution, designed by municipal leaders for municipal employers, with retirees and taxpayers at the heart of every decision.

⚡ SPANY: The Power to Control Retiree Healthcare
Together, we’re transforming the future — one municipality at a time.