Senate Republicans Offer Their Version of Public Employee Health Reforms

State Senators Mark Jansen and Alan Sanborn have introduced legislation that would require all employees who receive health insurance benefits from a publicly funded health insurance plan to contribute between 15 and 20 percent to their health care costs.  See a video excerpt of the press conference.

Currently, legislative employees for example pay about 5 percent of their health care costs.

Another part of the package would allow local units of government to offer their employees the same benefits available to state employees.

Speaker Dillon’s overhaul of the public employee healthcare system is still being debated in a specially created legislative committee.  His plan has been met with criticism from public employee unions around the state.  The Senate bills would likely meet similar criticism.

SBAM supports bringing public employee benefits more in line with what the private sector receives.  We believe that this is an important step in the government reforms that we’ve been fighting for.