House OKs Higher Health Insurance Costs for State Retirees
Here is a wrap-up of some of the latest political news.
State retirees should brace themselves for higher health-care premiums. Illinois House lawmakers voted May 9 to reduce the $800 million annual cost of insurance for retired state workers by making them pay more for health care that some now get for little or nothing. Under the legislation, retired state workers, judges, lawmakers and university employees would have premiums for their group health insurance program set each year by the Quinn administration. The bill went to the Senate on a 74-43 vote. The Chicago Tribune reported that the action unfolded as House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, and Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, implored colleagues to make the legislation part of a major effort to rein in billions of dollars in …
