Under the direction of Jim Testermen, the DSEA-R Legislative Chairperson,
the DSEA-R created a unified lobbying effort with AFSCME-retired, State Police - Retired, and the FOP- retired. Through the efforts of the Unified Lobbying Group the state retired workers have kept their health benefits.
For our members on Medicare you will not see any changes except in you prescription plan. All long term medications will have to be with a 90 day prescription.
Those members not on Medicare will have an increase in your premiums ranging from $20 to $50 a month. There will be no co-pay increase or prescrition cost increase. All long term medications will have to be with a 90 day prescription.
If the Unified Lobbying Group did not exist many of your State Health benefits would have been cut.
The SEBC –Legislative Initiatives
The State Employees Benefits Committee legislative initiatives in red have a direct impact on DSEA-R members. The DSEA-R legislative committee will be lobbying to stop these initiatives.
.Analyze existing policy and code requirements related to:
•Double State Share - SEBC wants to drop this program
•The “free” plan –currently known as “First State Basic” - SEBC wants to drop this program
•Assessing a percent of salary for employee health care premium
•Reducing Dependent Coverage - SEBC wants to drop our spouses
•Reducing State Share coverage for Medicare Supplement plan to less than 100%
•Rating active employees and non-Medicare eligible retirees separately- this will make health insurance to expensive for many of our members to purchase.
•Rating non state participating groups separately
•Modifying the structure of State Share for new hires and retirees after certain date
