MichiganRadio

Everybody Into The Pool? Dillon Presents State Health Care Plan LANSING, MI (MPRN) -

House Speaker Andy Dillon has released a draft of the bill that would consolidate thousands of government workers into a single health insurance pool.

The Democratic leader would like the plan to be part of a deal to come up with some long-term savings to the state budget.

This would allow a special state House committee to begin hearings as soon as next week on the legislation which, until now, has been discussed only in concept.

School administrators and conservatives generally support the idea that pooling together public employees could save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in health care costs[. Some Democrats say the idea is worth exploring, but others are adamantly opposed. Labor unions have lined up in opposition to the concept as a threat to their rights to collectively bargain for health care benefits. The Michigan Education Association, in particular, sees it as an attack on its teacher-union-owned health insurance company.

Dillon has said he believes a statewide public employee insurance pool can be created without gutting bargaining rights. © Copyright 2012, MPRN