Danny Valdez and his cohorts over at the shameful Webb county commissioners' court have recently cited that the reason they are suddenly raising health premiums for retirees 1000 percent is because "
we haven't raised them for 10 years". Well, the question is "why not". Who was minding the store all of these years. Of course, the answer is that, for most of that time, it's been Judge Valdez.
I understand that the effected employees are the ones who have retired but are not yet old enough to qualify for medicare. Commissioner Jaime Canales, who is being challenged by Jose Valdez Jr. and perhaps others, has mentioned a couple of times that "they" are trying to see if there is something else they can do.
How can anybody justify raising fees, or taxes, or worse yet, insurance premiums but that much. What person has that type of money? Not retirees, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteIs this even allowable by the state? I know Texas isn't much on regulation but price hikes should go through some sort of state review board.
This thing is ridiculous on so many levels.
They sure learned the "we haven't raised rates in 10 years" from the city pronto!
ReplyDeleteThese "retirees" are only a select few who retired with 20 years of experience. They tried to buck the system by "retiring" and then working another job thus double dipping the system. You simply can't have it both ways. If you retire when you are of age (65) then you can qualify for Medicare with no problems. However, when you "retire" at 45 and start collecting your pension don't expect a free ride from the county/ city etc. to carry you for the next 20 years until you hit the golden age. Look at this issue another way. We the taxpayers have been subsidizing these retirees to the tune of $900 each month for who knows how long. The actual costs should be absorbed by those who failed to read the fine print. I applaud comm court for sending a strong fiscal message to their employees. Just because you can "retire" with 20+ years doesn't mean you have too. By the way these retirees are free to look for an insurance plan outside of what the county is offering. They may find it cheaper. Longevity in a job does not entitle one to be taken care of for the rest of your life.
ReplyDeleteWhy did they keep doing it for so long then? If the above is true, then the county was being irresponsible with the taxpayer's money all that time. They should have put a stop to it a long time ago. Or just allow a designated amount to the "retirees" and they of course would have to figure out the best way to spend that amount in regards to their health. Did any of them retire because they were unable to continue working?
ReplyDelete