Bill Would Prevent State From Lowering Health Insurance For Retired Employees
Assembly Governmental Employees Committee chairman Peter Abbate, D-Brooklyn, has introduced legislation that would bar the state from lowering health insurance benefits of retired public employees or prevent “unilateral changes” in health insurance premiums.
The measure is before his Assembly committee tomorrow.
Health-insurance costs for retirees have become an increasing concern for state and local governments as they also grapple with rising pension costs for retirees. A report in October from the Empire Center for New York State Policy found governments and schools face a unfunded liability for public-sector retiree health insurance of a whopping $205 billion.
Abbate’s bill says the current protection against changes to retirees’ health-insurance coverage only applies temporarily to school-district retirees. He would want to lock in the coverage for all state employees, although the benefits could be changed under new collective bargaining agreements.
“This legislation seeks to protect health insurance coverage for all public sector retirees. It provides that a public employer may not unilaterally reduce benefit coverage or employer contributions unless making a parallel reduction for active employees,” the bill states. “This does not prevent public employers from reducing benefits as a cost-cutting measure, but does, in effect, require that any such reductions be the result of union negotiations.”
The bill doesn’t appear to have a sponsor in the Senate.
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Abbate mistakes his job as Gov. Employees Committee Chairman as Govt. Employees Cheerleading Chairman. How about he considers representing the people for a change, which is his job? If not, be honest about it, resign, and become a lobbyist
I believe if our benefits are lowered in the future, then the benefits of ALL NYS payrolls should be lowered at the same % Rate as state employees. That would include anyone that receives a NYS payroll check; i.e. the governor, the legislature. Convesely, when the same state employees receive an increase in their payrolls, they should also be increasing retirees as well as current state employees’ payolls. Seems like fair play to me.