NAGE Local President Supports State Employees At GIC Hearing
February 8, 2008
Greg Sorozan, president of NAGE Unit 6 Local 282, was among the state employee supporters who testified at a public hearing held by the state’s Group Insurance Commission on Wednesday.
GIC Executive Director Dolores Mitchell told the assembled crowd about the possible changes to health care costs for over 81,000 current and retired state employees. She indicated that there would be increases but refused to provide specific dollar amounts or percentages because, she said, she needed to wait for a final state budget from the legislature and action from the GIC. (The GIC sets co-pays and deductibles; the legislature determines what percentage of premiums state employees pay.)
Sorozan, however, did not hesitate to provide the commission with specific numbers, all culled from the GIC’s annual reports. From FY2001 to FY2007, he said, the Commonwealth’s costs for health care premiums rose 52.5%—but during the same period, employees’ premiums rose 67%. But that figure doesn’t include the other part of employee health care costs: the cost of deductibles and co-pays. That cost rose 64% between FY01 and FY07. Sorozan said that since the averages include the participation of retirees, who did not pay such increases, the actual costs borne by current state employees were therefore even higher than the averages indicate.
Also attending the hearing from NAGE were Unit 1 Local 291 President Jack Donegan and Executive Vice President Susie McLean-Zady, Unit 1 Local 292 President John Mann, NAGE National Representative Kate Delaney-Kelly. SEIU Local 509 President Michael Grunko also attended on behalf of Local 509’s state employee members, as did representatives from MOSES. NAGE attorney Richard Waring attended as a member of the GIC, along with fellow commissioners David Handy, Stephen Chandler, and Mary Ann Bradley from the office of the Secretary for Administration and Finance.
“Greg was forceful and strong and should be commended for standing up for all of our members,” said Donegan. “He did his homework and made sure that the commissioners heard exactly how unfair the current system is to people who do so much for the Commonwealth.”
“The GIC director says that the state is being charged more for health care. I say: ask why,” said Sorozan after the hearing. “Why are costs going up so much? Are these companies getting huge tax breaks or bonuses for making us pay more and more? It’s time we worked together to get a handle on health care costs instead of just hitting state employees with another double whammy. We don’t deserve to bear the brunt of a problem this far-reaching.”