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The measure does give school employees the option of accepting a DC plan while senators wait for the results of a study on the costs of moving all school employees into such a plan. The study is expected to be delivered to lawmakers by November 15, according to a news report on www.mlive.com. The issue has divided legislators because some fear the switch would cost too much. The State House previously rejected the switch (see “Michigan Teachers’ Pension Reform Still Up in the Air”). The proposal calls for doubling health insurance premiums for school retirees; eliminating health coverage in retirement for new workers hired after July 1, and instead putting an extra 2% of their compensation into a DC plan; and "prefunding" retiree health benefits with a 3% employee contribution, currently the subject of a Supreme Court case, the news report said. If the court decides that the mandatory contributions are illegal, the health program will not be prefunded. Employees could give up the healthcare benefit and not make the 3% contribution, and instead receive a 2% matching contribution like new employees are expected to have.
The measure does give school employees the option of accepting a DC plan while senators wait for the results of a study on the costs of moving all school employees into such a plan. The study is expected to be delivered to lawmakers by November 15, according to a news report on www.mlive.com.
The issue has divided legislators because some fear the switch would cost too much. The State House previously rejected the switch (see “Michigan Teachers’ Pension Reform Still Up in the Air”).
The proposal calls for doubling health insurance premiums for school retirees; eliminating health coverage in retirement for new workers hired after July 1, and instead putting an extra 2% of their compensation into a DC plan; and "prefunding" retiree health benefits with a 3% employee contribution, currently the subject of a Supreme Court case, the news report said. If the court decides that the mandatory contributions are illegal, the health program will not be prefunded.
Employees could give up the healthcare benefit and not make the 3% contribution, and instead receive a 2% matching contribution like new employees are expected to have.