Join Us to Keep Health Benefits Affordable
February 03, 2005
I am one of the organizers of an upcoming free public forum at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills (February 9, 1-4:30PM, in Appreciation Hall) that is designed to bring local government decision-makers and health care industry experts together to explore the question of how we can keep health care benefits affordable for public sector employees.
Paying for health care benefits for government employees is one of the biggest challenges faced by local elected officials. Public agency budgets have not kept pace with health care premium increases, which have been going up by double-digits for years. Frequently, this leaves local elected officials with limited options: cut benefits and/or increase the fees paid by employees, or layoff employees, which reduces the level and quality of public services. Quite obviously, local elected officials can’t keep raising fees for public employee health care insurance, cutting benefits and reducing services indefinitely.
We’ve organized the Feb. 9 forum in hopes of shining a spotlight on this problem, sharing ideas, and increasing collaboration at the local level.
The target participants are local elected officials, benefits managers at local public agencies, and experts in health care and insurance best practices. Confirmed speakers include experts in all these areas.
Here is the official press release annoucing the event. Members of the general public are also welcome to attend. I hope to see you there.
