The Plain Dealer
09/07/03
Free health care disappearing for retired public employees
By Stephen Ohlemacher
Free health care, once an expectation for many of Ohio’s retired public employees, will soon be a memory for most.Even affordable health care is in jeopardy for a lot of retirees on fixed incomes.
All five of Ohio’s public employee pension funds are following national trends by increasing health care costs for retirees next year, some significantly.
The Ohio retirement systems have special funds to subsidize health insurance
for retirees. Officials at all the funds are adamant that pension benefits are secure. But without the price increases, officials at most of the systems said they would run out of money to help pay for health insurance in just a few years.
“The bottom line is, public employees still have great benefits,” said Laurel Johnson, spokes woman for the School Employees Retirement System.
“They just have to pay for it.”
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Comment: When our most reliable programs of health care coverage no longer
guarantee permanent health security, isn’t it time to consider reform that
will?
Lifetime, affordable, comprehensive coverage for everyone is achievable now.
What are we waiting for?