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October 22, 2003GT COUNTY: Retirees speak up to save insuranceIt supplements MedicareByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Retired employees urged county officials to find other ways to balance next year's budget and save a supplemental health insurance program that will cost them hundreds of dollars a month. But their pleas likely won't stop the county board from slicing the expense from the budget.
It supplements federal Medicare insurance for seniors, including coverage for prescription drug costs. The county board has agreed to eliminate the coverage in a cost-cutting move, among more than $3 million trimmed from the $33 million budget plan. But county workers asked the board to reconsider, and look elsewhere to balance the budget. "Do something besides put it on the backs of these retirees who've served the county for so long," said Edna King of Traverse City, who retired from the county clerk's office. County officials say the cost of the insurance has soared in recent years, both because of a growing number of retired workers and the general increase in health insurance premiums. The cost to the general fund was just $35,000 a year in the mid-90s, officials said, but is projected at nearly $240,000 next year. The estimated cost next year is around $325 per month for each employee, which they'll have to pay to continue the coverage past April 1. "We're short on money. We're trying to make ends meet, too," former county sheriff Harold Barr said. "In some cases (the insurance costs are) a tremendous percentage of the fixed budget." It appears unlikely the board will change its decision when commissioners meet next Wednesday to formally adopt the 2004 budget. "As more retire, (the cost is) going to grow exponentially. There's no way the county can afford that," county board chairman Peter Strom said. "It's a real tough call, because we're dealing with people's lives here. We've cut departments and we've cut service. It's not very happy."
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