Watching Your Health Care

Welcome back to school all of you wonderful teachers, specialists, para-professionals, food service workers, secretaries, custodians, and of course students.

Health care continues as an important issue for educators in Delaware. The struggle to forge a national health plan is ongoing, as are the events around the struggle. Tonight at 6:30 PM, Health Care for America Now (HCAN)is showing the film, "Unnatural Causes" at the DSEA office in Newark (Rt 4 and Harmony Rd). Wednesday evening at 7:00PM Organizing For America (OFA) is holding a rally for health care on the Legislative Mall in Dover.

At the state level, many ideas continue to circulate that pose challenges to the integrity of our health plan. Previously, this blog has discussed the Government Performance Review report. At the risk of being redundant, you should be aware that the report recommends achieving savings of more than $13 million out of the health plan.

We are in favor of the health plan being managed well to deliver a good benefit in a cost effective manner. In that scenario, public employees and taxpayers both win.

However, we are not in favor of suggestions such as those in the Performance Review that would have employees paying more premium (after last year's 50% increase) with no other justification than the fact that employee health care is expensive.

Premiums in the state employee health plan should be based on an extensive and accurate claims history that allows an actuarial projection of future costs. Philosophy, national trends, or robbing Peter to pay Paul, should not enter into the discussion.