One of the not-so-bright ideas abeing advanced to cut school funding next year by the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) is to force the New Mexico Public School Insurance Authority to reduce benefits in school employee health insurance coverage to a level that avoids any premium increase for school employers, and thus legislative funders. Here is the LFC's flawed logic:
"A review of the New Mexico Public School Insurance Authority (NMPSIA) medical benefit plan suggests the plan is the richest of all public employee and retiree plans and should be adjusted to better align with the other plans. The committee recommendation does not include funding for insurance increases in FY10 but directs NMPSIA to make changes in benefits to align with other public employee plans."
The LFC recommends not funding some $17.2 million new premium dollars recommended by NMSPIA. Most school employees would hardly describe their health insurance plan (most of whom already pay more in premiums that state employees) as "rich." Nothing much about school employee compensation can be described as rich!
The House Education Committeewill discuss discuss school employee health insurance this morning and the House Appropriations and Finance Committeewill hear the LFC's and Governor's budget proposals this afternoon.
Let legislators know that cuts in your insurance benefits is just plain wrong!
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