HB 1256 Would Aid Health Coverage
olorado House Bill 1256 would bring affordable insurance to thousands of Coloradans by allowing them to buy less-expensive policies available in other states (Health Care, Feb. 19).
National Puppet Masters Pull Strings for Local Health Reform Groups
Ever wonder why health care “reforms” that have failed everywhere they’ve been tried still get attention?
Follow the money.
The annual “grassroots” Health Care Day of Action will take place on the Colorado state capitol steps on March 9. This year’s slogan is “demand healthcare reform” because “economic recovery begins with healthcare reform.” The Obama administration is using the same slogan, suggestion that these grassroots are pretty shallow.
Rationing Care: Oregon Changes Its Priorities
To our knowledge, the Oregon Health Plan is the first government health care program anywhere in the world that has drawn up a formal procedure for rationing. After comment from interested parties, this state health program for low-income people ranks treatment for various diseases and conditions, currently from 1 to 680, in order of priority. The health care dollars available determine which priorities are met. As program costs have grown, the list of covered procedures has become shorter.
“Unhappy Parents” Use Bad Judgment
In today’s Denver Post there is a story by Jeremy P. Meyer about the parents of 67 students from Hanson PreK-8 School located in Adams 14 School District. The parents are boycotting the CSAP because they are unhappy that the principal has been placed on leave for undisclosed reasons, the elimination of the year-round schedule, and changes to […]
3/4/09
Newsletter March 4 2009
Would Local Only Union Model Work for Colorado Teachers?
Garry Sigle, spokesman for the Riley County Educators (RCE) in Kansas, explains how he and his fellow teachers recently opted to de-certify the National Education Association as their exclusive negotiators and take charge of their own representation. What does the local only union look like? What is the decertification process like? What challenges does it include? Teachers in some Colorado school districts may find the approach to be a viable professional option.
What Is At Stake In The Current Battle Over Colorado’s Tax and Spending Limits?
This year the Colorado legislature is debating a bill, (SB228) that would eliminate the Arveschoug-Bird Amendment. That Amendment was enacted by the legislature in 1992, a few months before the voters of Colorado enacted the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) Amendment. Arveschoug-Bird caps the growth of general fund spending at 6 percent per year. With the 6 percent cap in place, surplus revenue above this limit is transferred into the Highway Users Trust Fund and to capital construction.
There are several reasons why this bill would be fiscally irresponsible. The bill would eliminate what has proven to be a very effective constraint on the growth in general fund expenditures, and also on how state revenues are allocated between transportation and capital projects, and other expenditures. The bill also raises constitutional issues and the role of the initiative and referendum process in amending the constitution.
Hold Onto Your Assets
Seven years ago, the Colorado legislature passed reforms to the state’s civil asset forfeiture laws, implementing important safeguards to protect citizens from having their property unfairly seized by overreaching government agencies. Now those reforms are under assault this year.
What Now For PERA: Déjà Vu All Over Again?
Colorado’s Public Employee Retirement Association (PERA) is experiencing a financial crisis. The current financial crisis has resulted in a significant decrease in the value of PERA’s portfolio. But the financial crisis in PERA is not just the result of the current financial crisis. PERA’s defined benefit pension plan is fundamentally flawed; the problems in the plan have emerged over several decades. While the current financial crisis has exacerbated these problems, PERA is facing a long-run deterioration in its financial condition.
The legislature has enacted several reforms over the past decade to address PERA’s financial problems. These reforms have included changes in benefits, increased contribution rates, and administrative changes. Unfortunately, these reforms have failed to address the fundamental flaw in PERA’s defined benefit plan.
This Issue Paper explores the financial crisis in PERA. Different measures of the magnitude of the crisis are examined, and the flaws in PERA’s defined benefit plan are analyzed. The failed legislative reforms of PERA are critically evaluated. The Issue Paper concludes that the legislature should consider declaring a financial emergency and enacting the fundamental reforms needed to solve PERA’s financial crisis. Other states have successfully reformed their own state employee pension plans by replacing a defined benefit plan with a defined contribution plan.
March 20 Event: "Is K-12 Employee Pension System Fair?"
How much do teachers, administrators, and other K-12 education employees really earn in extra pension benefits?
