Get HIP to health insurance threat

It might surprise you to know PEF Retirees are hippies. No, we have not grown long hair and beards, nor have we taken to wearing sandals and attending Grateful Dead concerts. (At least most of us haven’t.)

We are hippies in the sense that we support Health Insurance Protection legislation. All over America, in the public and private sectors, post-retirement health insurance benefits are being scaled back or cut altogether.

Brian Curran, PEF’s legislative director, reminds us this has been attempted twice in our state’s history: Once, when Gov. George Pataki first took office, and again last year.

We anticipate the state “budgeteers” will redouble their efforts to cut post-retirement health benefits in 2004 and here’s why: We achieved fantastic improvements in our pension benefits in recent years, including a long-overdue cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).

Our pension benefits are constitutionally guaranteed and cannot be cut under any circumstances. So, how are the budgeteers going to address current budget shortfalls? You guessed it: They are coming after our post-retirement health insurance benefits.

Because health insurance costs are increasing faster than any other sector of our economy, if we had to reach into our own pockets to pay for health insurance, the expense could easily exceed all that we are receiving in the form of pension COLAs.

New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) has promoted a HIP bill for several years for retired teachers. The Alliance of Public Retiree Organizations and the Retired Public Employees Association (RPEA) have promoted a HIP Bill that protects police and fire retirees, (as well as others at the local level).

But, currently, no other group representing public retirees is actively pursuing legislation protecting the health insurance benefits of state retirees — no one, but PEF. The legislation we favor has been sponsored in prior sessions by state Sen. Hugh Farley and Assembly Member Peter Abbate Jr.

Will any of these health insurance protection bills pass in the ’04 session? We honestly don’t know. But sometimes a good offense in the best defense. By promoting passage of a HIP Bill in ’04 we will put the Legislature and governor on notice:

We will not tolerate any diminution of our post-retirement health insurance benefits.

We will not let them balance the budget on the backs of state retirees.

We will not permit the protection of our hard-won COLA to be overwhelmed by soaring health insurance costs.

And, after we tell them all that, we will flash the peace sign, and tell them protecting our health benefits would be really groovy. After all, we are hippies.

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Inside This Issue
Features
Testifying on wasteful state spending
Contractor at fault in bridge collapse
Stop privatization dead in its tracks’
SEIU leads ‘Show Bush the Door in '04’
- PEF to show Bush the exit door
- How to help show Bush the door

Departments
President's Message: Bush must go
You Said It: Member's letters this month
Member Mobilization: Training gears up
Nurses' Station: protest-of-assignment
Legislative Update: Law buys time
Contact Update: Time clocks off limits
Nov. 19 Capitol Rally
Health Benefits: Roswell to the rescue
- HMO can help you stop smoking?
- Decide about your health benefits now
Retirees: Get HIP to health insurance
Health & Safety: Workplace books to go
PEF Membership Benefits & Travel Corp

Union Matters
PEF’s ’03 COPE All Stars shine
Keep hope alive at Bronx PC
PEF preps for battle to save OCFS jobs
PEF backs Gunther for state Assembly
Time clocks off the wall
OFCS member Dudley does write
Members Highlights

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