General Fund: 3901 Health InsuranceFY 10: $65,738,245
FY 11 $69,137,563
Highway Fund: 3901 Health Insurance
FY 10: $26,230,028
FY 11 $27,540,437
These are the totals in the proposed state budget for the cost to taxpayers to provide health insurance to state employees over the next biennenium. That's right, nearly $92M in FY 10 and over $96.5M in FY 11. The Governor's budget proposes to achieve a whooping total of less than $500,000 savings from these lines in each year. Maine taxpayers can not afford to continue to fund these benefits at this level. In fact, more and more taxpayers are finding themselves going without health insurance due to rising costs of premiums.
It is time to look harder at these lines and find additional savings by reducing the benefit package and/or requiring state employees* to pay a portion of the premium costs.
*state employees = all state employees, including Legislators.
2 comments:
Thank you for bringing this budget item to the surface. How can any representative in good conscience vote for this level of spending? Small businesses in Maine scramble year after to to contain health care costs; downgrading plans, requiring more employee contributions, etc. Why does the governor feel it necessary to buck common sense and continue to burden the tax payer with this over-the-top spending? Is he counting on the Pelosi bailout money to fund it?
HAS ANYONE IN THE RIGHT MIND LOOKED AT THE WELFARE SYSTEM? IF WE WOULD HAVE CONFORMED TO FEDRAL STANDARDS IN 1996 OUR 600 MILLION DALOOR SHORT FALL WOULD BE A 600 MILLIONDALLOR GAIN. DO YOU KNOW YOU PAY THE AVERAGE WELFARE RECEIVER 17.65 AN HOUR TO SIT AT HOME....I WONDER WHY YOU MOST NOT ALL WONT ACTIVLY LOOK FOR EMPLOYMENT. ALSO STATE EMPLOYEES ARE PAID HOURLY LESS THEN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. BUT YOU ARE RIGHT PUNISH THE PERSON THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THE WORKING OPERATIONS OF THE STATE NOT THE DEAD WEIGHT HOLDING IT BACK!!! HOW IS IT THAT THEY CAN SHOW A STATE EMPLOYEES PAY AS PUBLIC RECORD BUT NOT A WELFARE PERSON. THE STATE NEEDS TO FIND ITS WAY SOON. DHHS AND EDUCATION EAT UP 80% OF THE BUDJECT
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