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Friday: Sorry...
posted at 2008-07-18 12:23 | Last modified 2008-07-18 12:23
...but it's past noon, they're still here, and there's no sign of a deal yet on the state health plan. ICYMI, the House and Senate do NOT agree on how to cover the system's shortfall. My story from this morning:
Lawmakers are trying to find a way to bail out the state health plan before they wrap up work for the year.
Statehouse leaders say they learned just three weeks ago that the state employees health plan is 117 million dollars poorer than they were told. The plan may run out of money early next year. House leaders want to set aside $100 million dollars from the state’s rainy day fund to cover any shortfalls. The Senate wants to raise patient copays instead. Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand says lawmakers will be working over the break to stabilize the plan,
"But we feel it’s important, if we’re going to do something, to go ahead and start doing it now. We think that this is not the anticipated use of the rainy day fund.
Even sorrier
...to say I'm out of here for the weekend. I'm headed off to a long-planned board retreat for Capitolbeat. Back late Sunday. I hate to leave before the hankie drops -- it's like leaving a movie five minutes before the end -- but I'm sure I'll hear all about it.
Comments? Drop me a line.
