Molly Janczyk: Keep writing your legislators re: health care legislation

From Molly Janczyk, January 12, 2007
Subject: Health Care (HC) legislation

The Springfield paper ran an article recently which I cannot forward. It stated the following regarding the importance of passing HC legislation HB707.

Paraphrased:

Without HC legislation, employees will have to work longer due to higher HC costs in retirement. This translates to higher health care costs and higher salaries to school districts/employers. HC legislation helps employers manage their workforce, payroll and HC costs better saving the districts, employers, colleges and universities.

Please continue to write your own legislators asking if they support the HC legislation written by HCA's. If not, why not? State clear and professional arguments for HC legislation as stated above. Other important issues are attracting and keeping quality educators to Ohio.

• Without secure retirements with HC, educators will enter other fields offering better benefits.

• Properly fund education in Ohio according to 4 court orders. This could possibly free up monies which could be redirected for increased contributions which have been stagnant for years not meeting inflation or employee needs.

• Ask your school boards what is more important, keeping quality educators or failed programs, wasteful consultants, too many top level administrators, etc.

• Someone has to pay: If retirees cannot afford HC, more will rely on ER's unable to pay HC premiums or medical and RX costs. The state will eat much of these costs and have to put retirees on payment plans spreading out the payments vs. larger reimbursements from insurance.

Feel free to edit and adapt these points into your own letter to your legislators. Thank you.

Molly J.