RPEA Fights Misinformation about Retiree Health Insurance Bill

ALBANY, NY (05/21/2008)(readMedia)-- The Retired Public Employees Association, speaking on behalf of public service retirees across the State, wants to set the record straight over recently published misinformation concerning the New York State Legislature’s intent to examine health insurance issues for retired governmental employees.

Stan Winter, RPEA President, stated “both houses of the Legislature, led by Senator Farley and Assemblyman Abbate, have introduced bipartisan legislation which recognizes that adequate and affordable health insurance coverage is a vital issue for over a half million retired public employees and their dependents. These taxpaying New Yorkers dedicated their working lives to the service of the people of this State and must not be abandoned now that they are in their later years and existing on mostly fixed incomes.”

Recent articles, fostered by the NYS Association of Counties and the Manhattan Institute, see the plight of these senior citizens as an easy opportunity for their own political ends. They state that the legislation would guarantee perpetual free or nearly free health insurance benefits and would prevent economies at the state and local levels of government. Mr. Winter pointed out that a reading of the bills (S6457-A/A9393-A) hardly calls for that sort of rhetoric and makes him wonder why these self anointed experts would make such a misrepresentation.

These bills simply do two things. First, they call for the establishment of a broad based and expert task force to carefully study and recommend cost effective ways of dealing with a complex issue facing governments at all levels. Secondly, they provide a one year moratorium prohibiting diminishing the health insurance benefits provided to public service retirees or the contribution towards such coverage below that provided to active employees. In other words, governments would not be precluded from reducing overall health insurance costs. They would simply be required to provide fair and even handed treatment for all.

These bills clearly do not conjure up some kind of sweetheart deal such as the golden parachutes we hear of in connection with corporate executives. They simply call for careful review, analysis and recommendations for cost effective solutions – steps that are essentially good government and that should be embraced by state and local government officials.

-30-