Nevada is phasing out paid health insurance for some government retirees.
"The state has offered the retiree health benefits for decades. But with rising medical costs and people living longer, the cost to the state has ballooned. Currently, it has a $4 billion unfunded liability, Johnstone said."
Interesting that here in Kentucky we still aren't motivated to act when our unfunded liability is nearly $30 billion.
And in Indiana, lawmakers last year got rid of the richest pension matching program I've ever seen:
"According to a file leaked to The Indianapolis Star and verified by state officials, lawmakers have contributed $3.6 million to their pension accounts since 1992, when they put the finishing touches on the system. During that same time period, taxpayers contributed $14.2 million to the lawmakers' accounts. (You can go to IndyStar.com to search a database showing how much the state has contributed to each lawmaker's account.)"
"The pension plan is among a set of perks that drew widespread criticism in recent years. In response to the criticism, the legislature voted last year to do away with the 4-to-1 pension match come 2009."
Meanwhile, Kentucky is content to hand parachutes to some lawmakers that are worth more than gold. We really need some more leadership on this.
