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Your Health Benefits are in Jeopardy
Your health insurance, whether you are working or retired, is in jeopardy. House Speaker Andy Dillon has introduced his proposal for a mandatory health plan for all public employees and retirees. This bill, H.B. 5345, would require public employees at all levels of government, including K-12, higher education, and retirees, to be part of a limited number of health insurance plans that would be matched against the costs of public sector employees in other states. Collective bargaining would be limited to selecting from among the plans and deciding how much of the cost would be shouldered by the employees. Please contact your legislators urging them to oppose H.B. 5345 and not to let it become part of the budget negotiations.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Oppose the Dillon Health Care Bill
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
I am writing you today in opposition to the Michigan Health Benefits Program Act, H.B. 5345.
I am a public employee and a union member. As insurance costs have risen we have worked hard to keep costs down and maintain good benefits. We have done that through collective bargaining. By taking away the ability to collective bargain our health benefits you are taking away our ability to design health insurance that best fits our local group, and that takes into account the times we have given up raises in exchange for keeping good benefits.
There is huge disagreement on the amount of purported savings resulting from this bill, and any savings will not be achieved for years. A new bureaucracy would be created. And, on top of everything else we don?t know yet what health care reforms will be coming out of Washington. There is no need to rush this bill and we especially don?t need it to become part of a last-minute deal as you try to work out a state budget before October 1. There are too many unanswered questions and numbers that just don?t add up.
Solve the state budget crisis, wait to see what Washington comes up with for health care reform, and more research needs to be done on the proposal. Please vote NO on H.B. 5345.
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
September 15, 2009
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The Michigan Health Benefits Program Act (H.B. 5345)
Creates a mandatory state health plan housed in the Department of Management and Budget, governed by a state Health Benefits Board and administered by the Office of State Employer;
Mandates all state, city, village, township, and county governments, agencies, school districts, public school academies, ISDs, community colleges, and public universities as well as all public retirement systems, to participate in employee health care plans from the state benefits plan;
Severely restricts collective bargaining between public employers and employees to choosing from a set menu of plans and plan designs approved by the Health Benefits Board, and how much employees would pay;
Requires that all school districts, public school academies, ISDs, community colleges, public universities, and local governments are financially liable for any budget shortfalls in the government-run fund;
Gives the Office of State Employer authority to create a new bureaucracy and hire an executive director and staff to administer the program;
Allows school districts, public school academies, ISDs, community colleges, public universities, and local governments to opt-out of the program if they pay for an actuarial study proving that the plan they offer is more than 5% less expensive than the government-run plan (must apply for approval at least 9 months prior to expiration of current contract);
Does not require or expand employee health care coverage;
All health care plan costs will be passed on to the employers and employees.
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