Here's some recent commentary after the legislature took away the health care benefit.
“This legislation will help ensure that our retirees continue to have access to quality health care while also lowering the cost to taxpayers,” Quinn said in the statement. Thank you sir, may I have another?
AFSCME is going to negotiate with CMS. Great, most AFSCME people have small pensions, they won’t/don’t give a lick about IDOT technical staff.
Again our Legislature takes the easy route and all of the media is glorifying their move.
And the questions the pols left behind? As for those already retired are they using your current pension amount or the original you retired at? Are they using your years of service at time of retirement or will they include your years as a retiree. And on and on and on.
Citizens of IL will just keep voting these (individuals) in because they have absolutely no clue what the legislature does.
CMS can't select health carriers in time for for the statrt of open enrollment; does May just come as a surprise to CMS?
CMS is going to (mess) this up royally.
CMS will determine what premiums retirees should pay for state health insurance coverage. BUT there is no control on how much the costs can be; no limit.
Especially for non-union retirees, this diminishes a retirement benefit and as such I think it could be argued as unconstitutional.
How do they expect current State employees to perform their work everyday when everyone is spending most of the day discussing (these changes)?
I also believe that every dime they save will be money they will spend on something else and still claim they cannot keep up pension contributions.
I’m just waiting for the next shoe to drop.
I think someone should start a class action suit.
IDOT has lost its professionalism and it will not be long before more top positions are taken up by politically backed individuals without Transportation credentials.
IL would be better off with an entirely new legislature that consists of recent college graduates with NO political affiliations or relatives that are in politics.
Messing with retirees' health benefits in this way is completely unconscionable.
So basically the longer you work and your pension % increases the more you will be screwed by the health care premium bill they just passed.
The interesting part is they do not set the amount to pay. They leave that up to CMS which provides them more cover. Who said a Politician isn't smart.
They tested the waters when they took back the free Dental Care and said you can pay for it or drop coverage.
We all knew it was just a matter of time before they found a way to take something else away from us.
Why didn’t they just up the health insurance benefit from 20 years to 30 or 35?
And regarding the healthcare steps, points and ranges in the AFSCME released document.
As usual they go from ZERO to something extreme.
Why not charge everyone like 150 flat rate.
Seems like employees with smaller pensions (less years of service) end up paying a higher percentage, disproportionate to their income. Great.
The other thing I wonder is why, if it is “group” insurance is the premium higher for a retiree than an active employee.