Stop removing prescription insurance coverage for state employees hired before July of 2011
February 19, 2024
Dear Legislators,
We, a concerned group of state employees and constituents, are writing to express our deep concerns regarding the proposed legislation that seeks to remove prescription insurance coverage for state employees hired before July of 2011. This change not only threatens the well-being of numerous dedicated employees who have served this state with diligence and commitment but also undermines the values of support and stability that Maryland has long stood for.
Removing prescription insurance coverage would have a profound and detrimental impact on the health and financial stability of affected employees. Many rely on this essential benefit to manage chronic conditions, ensure ongoing health, and prevent more serious health issues. Without coverage, the cost of necessary medications could become prohibitively expensive, forcing employees to make untenable choices between health and other critical financial obligations.
State employees hired before 2011 have planned their futures around the benefits they were promised upon employment. Altering these benefits retroactively breaks an implicit contract and significantly erodes trust between the state and its workforce. This could have long-lasting implications on the morale and retention of experienced employees who are integral to the state's operations.
This could have long-lasting implications on the morale and retention of experienced employees who are integral to the state's operations, and on the recruitment of new talents to the State.
While the proposed change might seem to offer short-term budgetary relief, the long-term consequences could lead to increased healthcare costs for the state. Without proper prescription coverage, employees may forego necessary medications, leading to worsened health conditions that require more expensive treatments or hospitalizations down the line.
We urge you to consider the far-reaching implications of this proposed legislation. As legislators, you have the power and responsibility to protect the interests and well-being of all state employees. We ask that you stand with us in opposing this change, ensuring that the state remains a model employer that values the health and security of its workforce.
We are ready to engage in constructive dialogue and work together towards solutions that safeguard employee benefits while addressing the state's fiscal concerns. Our collective goal should be to find a balanced approach that does not disproportionately impact those who have dedicated their careers to serving Maryland.
Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your continued service to the people of Maryland. We look forward to your support and to positive action on this critical issue.
Sincerely,
Employees of the University of Maryland at College Park
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
March 11, 2024
March 9, 2024
The statehouse bureaucrats think they can quietly strip our promised benefits without a fight. We are barreling toward five hundred signatures and need to hit that mark right now to show these cowards we are not backing down.
Reached 100 supporters
February 24, 2024
168 Comments
It's very concerning to learn that after working 40 years for the State of Maryland, I'm about to lose promised benefits as I'm nearing retirement. This establishes a precedent. Will retiree health benefits and pension be next?
PLEASE, I worked for the University of Maryland for over 46 years expecting to keep my prescription coverage. If I have to go on Medicare Part D, my monthly costs for my prescriptions will go from the current $41 to over $1100 a month! That is hard to afford on a state employee pension!
We State employees have carried the burden of budgetary cutbacks throughout our careers via furloughs, loss of COLAs, and frozen step increases. This is an unfair and shameful attack on a diminishing population. Please approve SB349 and HB670.
I was shocked to hear this drastic change in benefits was in the works. It would negatively impact not only current employees and retirees, but also the ability to recruit new employees to a state government that does fulfill its commitments to employees.
I joined the University of Maryland in 2001, where today I am very proud to carry the title Distinguished University Professor. I have chosen to build my career and my life here at UMD and in Maryland. I expect the state to live up to its commitments.
44 years of service and counting and this is what I'm getting from my elected officials. This is so wrong. This is one of the single most important benefits for retirees of the state, a promise about to be broken. All of us vote and you better believe most, probably all of us will be voting accordingly.
It is unfair to remove prescription coverage for employees who were promised to be given the coverage when they were hire (before July 2011.
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Stop removing prescription insurance coverage for state employees hired before July of 2011
February 19, 2024
Dear Legislators,
We, a concerned group of state employees and constituents, are writing to express our deep concerns regarding the proposed legislation that seeks to remove prescription insurance coverage for state employees hired before July of 2011. This change not only threatens the well-being of numerous dedicated employees who have served this state with diligence and commitment but also undermines the values of support and stability that Maryland has long stood for.
Removing prescription insurance coverage would have a profound and detrimental impact on the health and financial stability of affected employees. Many rely on this essential benefit to manage chronic conditions, ensure ongoing health, and prevent more serious health issues. Without coverage, the cost of necessary medications could become prohibitively expensive, forcing employees to make untenable choices between health and other critical financial obligations.
State employees hired before 2011 have planned their futures around the benefits they were promised upon employment. Altering these benefits retroactively breaks an implicit contract and significantly erodes trust between the state and its workforce. This could have long-lasting implications on the morale and retention of experienced employees who are integral to the state's operations.
This could have long-lasting implications on the morale and retention of experienced employees who are integral to the state's operations, and on the recruitment of new talents to the State.
While the proposed change might seem to offer short-term budgetary relief, the long-term consequences could lead to increased healthcare costs for the state. Without proper prescription coverage, employees may forego necessary medications, leading to worsened health conditions that require more expensive treatments or hospitalizations down the line.
We urge you to consider the far-reaching implications of this proposed legislation. As legislators, you have the power and responsibility to protect the interests and well-being of all state employees. We ask that you stand with us in opposing this change, ensuring that the state remains a model employer that values the health and security of its workforce.
We are ready to engage in constructive dialogue and work together towards solutions that safeguard employee benefits while addressing the state's fiscal concerns. Our collective goal should be to find a balanced approach that does not disproportionately impact those who have dedicated their careers to serving Maryland.
Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your continued service to the people of Maryland. We look forward to your support and to positive action on this critical issue.
Sincerely,
Employees of the University of Maryland at College Park
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
March 11, 2024
March 9, 2024
The statehouse bureaucrats think they can quietly strip our promised benefits without a fight. We are barreling toward five hundred signatures and need to hit that mark right now to show these cowards we are not backing down.
Reached 100 supporters
February 24, 2024
168 Comments
Health insurance was a contract that the state made with me when I moved to Maryland to work at Frostburg State University. Do not break faith with state employees and voters who put you in office. Keep drug coverage for retirees.
It's very concerning to learn that after working 40 years for the State of Maryland, I'm about to lose promised benefits as I'm nearing retirement. This establishes a precedent. Will retiree health benefits and pension be next?
PLEASE, I worked for the University of Maryland for over 46 years expecting to keep my prescription coverage. If I have to go on Medicare Part D, my monthly costs for my prescriptions will go from the current $41 to over $1100 a month! That is hard to afford on a state employee pension!
We State employees have carried the burden of budgetary cutbacks throughout our careers via furloughs, loss of COLAs, and frozen step increases. This is an unfair and shameful attack on a diminishing population. Please approve SB349 and HB670.
I was shocked to hear this drastic change in benefits was in the works. It would negatively impact not only current employees and retirees, but also the ability to recruit new employees to a state government that does fulfill its commitments to employees.
I joined the University of Maryland in 2001, where today I am very proud to carry the title Distinguished University Professor. I have chosen to build my career and my life here at UMD and in Maryland. I expect the state to live up to its commitments.
44 years of service and counting and this is what I'm getting from my elected officials. This is so wrong. This is one of the single most important benefits for retirees of the state, a promise about to be broken. All of us vote and you better believe most, probably all of us will be voting accordingly.
It is unfair to remove prescription coverage for employees who were promised to be given the coverage when they were hire (before July 2011.
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Health insurance was a contract that the state made with me when I moved to Maryland to work at Frostburg State University. Do not break faith with state employees and voters who put you in office. Keep drug coverage for retirees.