It is now official. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has signed legislation that takes away the free health insurance benefits that were promised to retired government employees, including teachers. The purpose of this legislation is to help balance the budget for the state of Illinois. There was a point in time when I was living in Illinois, and working as a substitute teacher. Back then, my hope was to find full-time employment as an Art teacher in one of the public schools in Illinois. That plan didn’t work out. The state was in the process of cutting away Art positions, and … Continue reading →

Retired state employees in Illinois are going to have to find a way to pay for their health insurance premiums very soon. The Illinois House of Representatives and Senate has approved a bill that Governor Pat Quinn has promised to sign. This change affects retired university employees, lawmakers, judges and some retired teachers. In February of 2012, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn wanted to cut the state of Illinois’ contributions for the health insurance benefits of retired teachers. This would affect retired school teachers and retired community college professors. The purpose of these cuts was to save the state of Illinois … Continue reading →

Retired school teachers, and retired community college professors, might be about to lose their health insurance benefits. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn wants to cut the state of Illinois’ contributions for the health insurance benefits that go to retired teachers. The plan could also result in higher premiums for retired teachers. There used to be something called the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program. This was a federal program that was created as part of the Affordable Care Act. This program provided funding that would enable employers to afford to continue to offer their retired employees a health insurance plan. Specifically, this program … Continue reading →