Steps Towards Fiscal Responsibility For NJ?
From the Star Ledger Online:
Panel OKs higher medical co-payments for teachers, state workers
Panel OKs higher medical co-payments for teachers, state workers
More than 200,000 teachers, local government workers and government retirees face higher co-payments for doctor’s office visits and prescription drugs, under a policy change approved over the vocal opposition of organized labor today.
With two union representatives opposing and others union representatives deriding the plan from a packed hearing room floor, the State Health Benefits Commission voted, 3-2, to raise the co-payments.
...
Altogether, the changes are scheduled to save the state about $74 million a year. The massive opposition they generated served notice of the difficulties lawmakers can expect as they consider wholesale changes to the benefits program to help rein in property taxes.
Under the new provisions adopted today, teachers and other local government employees enrolled in the State Health Benefits Program will see the co-payment for a doctor’s office visit rise from $5 to $10. The co-payment on most prescription drugs also would rise from $5 to as much as $15.
Representatives of the state teacher’s unions promised to challenge the changes in court, saying the higher payments would violate the terms of negotiated labor contracts.
8 Comments:
any info on this one?
it can't possibly be true
http://hoboken411.com/archives/1451
Union represents a minority population in NJ, yet has so much power on the state affairs.
Union is bad for everyone because it is a selfish organization without considering the consequencies of its activity to the society.
When I was in Graduate School, I had to join UAW in order to get the teaching job in the lab. They even wanted a piece of my $800/month.
Union does not have any financial accoutablity to the society,nor to company. They want this and they want that.
We need teachers, fire figters, police etc. but why we need 567 mayors, thousands council men, thousands principals, police chiefs and department managers etc. If Intel can fire 10,500 workers and be more profitable. Let's do the same.
Full article here:
State raises co-pays for teachers, government workers
With lawmakers hoping to save billions of dollars by overhauling the state's health benefits program for teachers and government workers, union representatives turned out in force yesterday to resist plans to trim millions through higher co-payments and drug-buying restrictions.
Despite the objections, members of the State Health Benefits Commission voted 3-2 to raise the co-payments more than 200,000 teachers, local government workers and retirees pay for visits to doctors' offices and prescription drugs.
The changes, which take effect Jan. 1, are designed to save state and local governments enrolled in the State Health Benefits Plan $32 million per year.
But commission members deferred another proposal, to save about $34 million annually by steering state and local workers to generic drugs and mail-order pharmacies, until January, to let state officials launch a public education campaign about the changes.
unions have helped kill
Ford, GM, Steel industry
and they have helped kill
NJ
Why are not both proposals being implemented on Jan 1 ???
Save 32 million plus 34 million to create a 64 million savings.
Then start a major consolidation of town and services and fire the freeloaders, over paid board of ed members and all the bloated depts.
Welcome to the real world teachers.
"unions have helped kill
Ford, GM, Steel industry
and they have helped kill
NJ"
Don't forget, they've pratically destroyed the American airlines industry too.
Now they're paying for it. Because some airline's starting salary for pilot is less than $28,000.
that's unfortunate, because pilots deserve more. But that's what happens when you let greed get in the way and not realize how good you had it before.
Bad News
There is no way, I repeat NO WAY,
Teachers will pay another cent towards healthcare, NO WAY.
Unions rule these politicians, and they will not stand for any increase for the teachers.
Get used to higher taxes, Corzine will not touch there benes, or healthcare, he knows their power.
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