While the budget funds the pension system, as required by law, the Bevin Administration is proposing stripping $54 million from retired teacher’s health care. This is beyond devastating for a retired teacher on a fixed income, putting the financial livelihood of thousands of retired teachers in real jeopardy if this budget is enacted.
These cuts would affect teachers who retired on or after July 1, 2010 and are under the age of 65. A single retired teacher drawing a pension of $3,000 a month could pay up to an additional $500 a month for health insurance, which adds up $6,000 a year. For someone who is on a “parent plus” plan it would equate to more than $800 a per month, which adds up to $9,600 a year.
Frankfort created this mess by refusing to fund pensions for more than a decade. We simply can’t believe how quickly the Bevin Administration is willing to turn its back on retired teachers without pursuing tax reform, new sources of revenues or cutting the budget elsewhere.