(01-01-2021, 12:39 PM)mal234 Wrote: I just saw that North Carolina is no longer going to offer retirement health benefits for state employees who are hired in 2021 and beyond. I do believe this may end up being a deterrent to having some qualified people apply for state positions .And I remember hearing some years back from people who worked at a community college in the state that the state benefits already weren't that good to begin with. This will end up disappointing some people in the state who may want to become a teacher or another state employee, but lawmakers in the state felt it was best to cut these benefits out of the budgets.

New State Hires Will Miss Out on Retiree Health Coverage | North Carolina News | US News

I'll say this first.... If you go into teaching (in public schools specifically) for the benefits then you need your head examined. Seriously. There is something wrong with you if good benefits are your goal because everyone knows they're not good and the cost to mental health isn't worth it if it's not your calling. Especially now. 

Okay.... That is so jacked about taking away medical. I mean, I understand what they're saying with the cost of medical care, but don't take it away completely. My husband's employer is considered a state employer and if someone retires before the 30 year mark, like 25-29 years, they still get to keep their health insurance but pay more for the premium per month than what they would if they retired at 30 years. Or something like that. I don't know absolute numbers other than the 30 years, but that's how it works. 

State and local government employees already get paid crap wages and this doesn't help. If you don't want to offer health insurance then raise their pay so they can afford what they're going to have to pay when they retire. The last year or two of their income determines how much their pension will be (say 80% of $100K per year for simple math. That is not how much my husband makes!) and if they have to pay for private insurance in 30 years..... Forget about it. I realize income will increase, but so will the cost of living. Exponentially.

We don't get free insurance now and I don't expect it at retirement, but at least we will get to keep what we have. He's close enough to retirement that, unless something really bad happens in the next 12-15 years, nothing should change. My brother works for the local community college and he's never said benefits are bad but it's the first job he's had that actually has benefits so he has nothing to compare them to.

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