Quinn signs bill to take away retirees' right to affordable health care
Gov. Quinn has signed SB1313 into law. AFSCME has asserted that the terms of any increase in retiree contributions must be negotiated. The bill effectively removes the legal right to affordable health care for state and state university retirees.
SB 1313 was rushed through the Senate little more than 24 hours after its passage in the House, with no opportunity for a serious examination of the issues involved. All four legislative leaders were in support and leaned on their members to vote "yes."
AFSCME lobbyists worked nonstop to block this legislation. Now the union has taken the position that CMS would still be required to negotiate plan design elements with the collective bargaining representative as has historically been the case. In committee testimony and again during the floor debate, supporters of the legislation stated their agreement with this interpretation.
Passage of this legislation represents a disturbing willingness by elected officials to forgo our state's longstanding commitment to a legal guarantee of affordable health care coverage in retirement.
AFSCME Retirees Chapter 31 and Council 31 have vowed to pursue every possible avenue to fight for affordable health insurance for retirees.
Retirees Chapter 31 president Virginia Yates issued this statement which was widely quoted in media reports:
“This bill jeopardizes affordable health care for state and university retirees. The governor saying his action ‘preserves health benefits’ is political doubletalk, and his claim that our health coverage is ‘free’ is false. In fact, seniors like me and 114,000 other retirees and dependents already pay $3,000 a year or more in co-pays, deductibles and premiums. By cutting retiree health care at the same time he’s handing out hundreds of millions in tax giveaways to big corporations, Governor Quinn shows his priorities are out of touch.”
Yates and several other AFSCME retiree activists spoke out on radio and TV around the state. Click here to watch one such report featuring Mary Larson, 89, of the Springfield area.
Click here to vote in the State Journal-Register's web poll asking whether retiree health premiums should be raised.
Finally, click here for the AFSCME fact sheet on SB 1313.