Georgia State Employee Alert

The demand on the state budget just got much worse. For state employees it is a potential disaster. Your future health care benefits are in serious jeopardy. Your plans for retirement could be destroyed.

Beginning in 2008 federal law will require Georgia to fund retiree’s healthcare cost on an actuarial basis. Currently, retiree health care expenses are paid in the same way as active employees, as they occur each year. Due to the federal legislation, the state has estimated this future liability at about $15 billion with an approximate annual budgetary impact of $500 million for the next 30 years.

When the state legislature convenes in January, they will be working on the 2008 budget. So far the leadership in the House and Senate are saying that they will address this problem without eliminating the retiree’s health insurance. However, no one knows what that means and what the cost will be to employees and retirees.

Sadly, the Governor has not publicly announced his position on this issue. But if past actions of the Governor are any indication of his future actions on healthcare cost, one would have to assume that a large portion of the financial burden will fall on the employees and retirees. You know the additional healthcare cost placed on you in the last couple of years. You know that past efforts to get employee and public input on the state healthcare issues were de-railed by the Governor. What do you think is going to happen?

You can not afford to wait and see what will be proposed. You must contact your state representative and senator and let them know how you feel. Ask your family and friends to do the same. Do it now! You can not afford to wait. If you wait, it will be a done deal before you know it and the state will be digging ever deeper into pay check.