Editorial: A costly decision

Friday, Sept. 28, 2007 | 7:30 a.m.

In 2003 the Legislature decided that all retired government employees in Nevada - including those working for school districts and municipalities - could enroll in the retiree health plan for state government employees.

The benefit also was a recruiting tool, particularly for school districts, something that acknowledged that although the pay isn't as high as it should be, at least teachers' health care would be taken care of once they retired.

But this year state lawmakers said the state plan no longer could cover the huge health care costs being amassed by an increasing number of retiring public employees.

To reduce the pressure, the Nevada Legislature changed the state plan's eligibility requirements this year, and a District Court judge made further restrictions this month.

New hires no longer will be eligible for the state retiree health plan and thousands of people - including about 1,900 teachers who have retired since 2004 and 18,000 active teachers - no longer will be able to enroll in the Public Employees Benefit Program after 2008.

The state retiree health plan allows participants to choose from doctors in or outside of Nevada and offers premiums at less than $50 per month - considerably more desirable than HMOs that cost more than $400 monthly or private plans that can cost three times as much, the Sun's Emily Richmond reports.

One result, of course, is that experienced teachers may hurry to retire before the 2008 deadline. Moreover, it likely will be more difficult to retain existing teachers and make it that much harder to hire new ones because the Clark County School District no longer can offer an attractive retirement health package.

This is just inexcusable. State lawmakers should have more carefully examined the likely outcome of their decision.

We understand the importance of keeping the state retiree health plan on firm financial footing. But if lawmakers had infused the plan with more money, recognizing the crucial value that quality teachers provide in our community and viewing a financial boost as an investment in our future, that truly would have been the wise course.