Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Education Association are currently in contract talks with the Ridgewood BOE .A state-appointed fact finder in February will try to settle a 10-month contract dispute with the Board of Education .The main point of contention is over how much REA members must contribute to their health insurance premiums .
“Why doesn’t the Ridgewoid BoE just make the teachers buy their own insurance through ACA health exchanges in NJ? Health care benefits are not constitutionally protected in NJ, so this change would hold up in the state Supreme Court and resolve a huge headache (and unlimited future healthcare liability) for both the BoE and Village taxpayers in Ridgewood”, Ridgewood blog reader
Maybe its time to put teachers on Obamacare ,after all the teacher unions supported it and voted for it .Why is it good enough for everyone but not good enough for them? After all didn’t Labor unions use the Supreme Court’s King vs. Burwell ruling as a chance to accuse Obamacare critics of putting lives in jeopardy.
Before the decision, Service Employees International Union warned “~10,000 people a year could die prematurely” if the Supreme Court overturned an Internal Revenue Service rule propping up HealthCare.gov in 34 states.
The NEA, the largest labor union in America, gave Health Care for America Now (HCAN) an organizer of pro Obamacare rallies $1.8 million from 2008 to 2013. AFT, the nation’s third-largest union, gave HCAN $325,000.NEA president Lily Eskelsen Garcia praised the Supreme Court for keeping health insurance “secure” and “affordable” through Obamacare. AFT presidentRandi Weingarten cheered the Court for preventing “a major step backward.”
The NEA website says , “NEA is committed to health reform to ensure that every person in America has quality, affordable health care coverage. Not only is this a moral imperative, it is a key component of controlling spiraling health care costs. Health reform must also guarantee a choice of health care plans and providers through a private health insurance plan, including one that an employee may currently have through their employer, and a public health insurance plan. This choice is a fundamental feature of an American solution for health reform and another critical piece of cost control. Health reform that provides comprehensive benefits to all at an affordable cost guarantees a choice of health plans and rewards quality and innovation as an attainable goal that the public supports.”
Simple answer is that for liberals “it’s good for thee, but not for me”.
If teachers want to keep their Platinum level health benefits, they can pay the extra premium for that priviledge. Taxpayers shouldn’t subsidize their choice, and the BoE is correct to stand their ground against the unreasonable (and expensive) demands of the REA. The average NJ public employee is enrolled in a health plan with an “actuarial value” of 95%, meaning that the plan pays approximately 95% of the cost of essential care with an average employee contribution of 18% of premium costs. In contrast, while there is some variation, plans offered by large private-sector employers typically fall within a range of 80% to 85% actuarial value, toward which employees typically contribute 24% of premium costs. Why should teachers get better?
Sounds like a plan, ask the union.
The unions all supported Obama, so they should embrace obamacare.
There’s no legal reason why the teachers shouldn’t be buying their own insurance from ACA exchanges – healthcare benefits for public sector workers are not constitutionally protected in NJ