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Some Nevada lawmakers raise concerns over health benefit cuts
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Cathleen Allison/The Associated Press
Assemblyman Marcus Conklin speaks at a hearing about public employee health insurance costs and benefits at the Legislative Building in Carson City on Wednesday. The Las Vegas Democrat questioned the impact that planned higher health insurance deductibles and premiums will have on state government's lower wage earners.
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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated: Feb. 24, 2011 | 7:46 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- Some Nevada lawmakers raised concerns Wednesday that changes to public employee health insurance costs and benefits would be particularly harsh to lower wage earners, a sentiment shared by one tearful state worker who feared not being able to pay for her son's insulin to treat his diabetes.
Susie Giurlani said both she and her husband work for the state. Furloughs imposed in 2009 and other costs attached to their wages have reduced their monthly income by $600, she said.
"We are not the rich state employees that some people think we are," she told joint Assembly Ways and Means and Senate Finance subcommittee.
Under benefit plan changes approved by a board that oversees public employee and retiree health benefits, annual deductibles for family coverage will jump from $1,600 to $3,800. For an employee only, the deductible will raise from $800 to $1,900.
Total out-of-pocket costs will be capped at $7,800 for a family and $3,900 for an individual.
Giurlani said a vial of insulin costs $430, and her son goes through 11 in three months.
She called the plan "punitive for people who do have health problems."
"I'm punished because I chose to get a job with the state, 30 years ago, believing that I'd have reasonable health coverage," she said through tears, adding she's "having a harder time in my life than when I was single."
The plan covers 72,000 active and retired public employees and their dependents. The benefits board is scheduled to meet today to determine how much more participants will pay toward their monthly premiums.
Jim Wells, executive director of the Public Employees' Benefits Program, said maintaining the status quo and subsidies paid by the state would have left an $85 million shortfall.
He said shifting to a high-deductible medical plan will save $41 million over the next two years.
The program also plans to shed Medicare-eligible retirees to a private health insurance exchange, saving another $22 million, and eliminating coverage for eligible spouse or domestic partners who have access to their own employer-paid plans. He estimated that savings at $9 million.
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In 2009, Guarini earned $70,213.02 that year. Her husband, John, is a state police captain; his 2009 pay was $93,689.45, for a total household income north of $160,000
I'm curious how much Ms. Giurlani and her husband make per year, that this increase in their contribution to their health plan puts their son's insulin supply at risk. Other sites are reporting that between the two of them, they earn over $160,000 a year. That would have been a relevant detail to include in this story, so we have a better understanding of what makes a state employee break into tears.
To Susie Giurlani: My husband has Type 1 Diabetes. We have catastrophic insurance only, which means we have to pay full price for meds. Our insulin $100 a bottle. Your pharmacy is ripping you off if it is charging 400% more than our pharmacy charges us. Further, research shows that you and your husband make $160,000 per year. My husband and I make $70,000. I am VERY VERY JEALOUS of how much money you make. In my book, you count as a rich person.
time to ban all crooks like union thugs and govt parasites from all tax dollers
you peoples time has come
Maybe the legislators should ask why culinary workers benefits are better, than state employees? Who is negotiating these health plans??
I had twenty three years of big business, banks, insurance companies, big construction companies, casinos, taxicab companies, all sucking up the big profits, and not paying the price to do business here like they do in other states. When it came for state employee raises, they didn't have enough to give even a cost of living raise. Year after year the same story. the city and county workers got raises every year and they were not one and two percent like you legislators gave state employee's. Now I am retired and you are going to allow the governors hand picked PEBP and PERS board decide to cut our benefits. Please tell me otherwise. Some Clark county employee's get over twenty thousand a year in longevity benefits and state employees are Maxed out at three grand, come on, leave our health and life insurance alone. If I knew you were going to cut my benefits after I retired, I would have left. If you want stop vision and dental benefits, make it a condition of new hires. Cutting senior aged retiree life insurance benefits is despicable and I hope your parents get the same treatment somehow!
Two state employees in the same family, and the whine about healthcare costs.
@ Ms. Giurlani (disgruntled and disappointed 30 year state worker), Madame I wish someone had explained to you that marriage and having a family isn't always a Golden Willie Wonka ticket. Both you and your husband decided to ride the state employee express, good for you. But just like any politician and any other state employee you can be replaced in a heartbeat and forgotten by Monday. You haven't generated any revenue for the state, you've done well in the good times, but now it's crunch time...GET OVER YOUR WHINY SELF.
Hey, Assemblyman Conklin...EVERYBODYs deductibles and premiums are going up. And we can thank your glorious leader, Mr. Obama. Now... Nevada will soon be experiencing through the roof gas prices, we're number one in unemployment and foreclosures and our state deficit is ready to make us choke. Do you think you might take off your government Human Resources hat and do something a real assemblyman might do?
Another sob story from the public employee poor underclass.