“LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATION
SR-08-09-06 LAC
Recommends that the Faculty Senate, President Kopp, Marshall University Board of Governors, and the WV Advisory Council of Faculty, jointly endorse a resolution which urges the State and WV-PEIA to implement a 2-year moratorium on any increases in PEIA premiums, co-payment deductibles, and out-of-pocket maximum and/or decreases in medical/pharmacy benefits to all state employees both active and retired.
RATIONALE:
PEIA has recently proposed a plan to increase premiums, co-payments and out-of-pocket maximums that would take effect July 1, 2009. The 9% premium increase comes at a time when education employees are only receiving less than 3% in salary increases. The 11% premium increase will cripple those retirees who are on fixed incomes. Further, the increases of 150% on the amount of out-of-pocket maximum and the increases in co-payment deductibles while cutting drug benefits will create hardship on the lives of thousands of education and state employees, both active and retired. With the current economic crisis, and the cost of basic necessities dramatically increasing, employees simply can’t afford the increases in premiums and costs while medical benefits are cut as proposed.”
