Don’t raid health fund
A recent Herald-Leader article reveals that some state legislators are considering raiding the state employee health-insurance trust fund to meet other budget needs.
The trust fund is not a piñata. It is intended to underwrite an important benefit for employees and retirees. Stealing from the fund without consultation and negotiation with the intended beneficiaries is lousy budgeting and poor public policy.
Through his budget request, Gov. Matt Bevin has proposed creating a permanent fund that allocates $500 million from the trust fund surplus to meet future pension obligations. As Kentucky Retirement Systems stakeholders, we commend the governor for forthrightly addressing the pension crisis and support his concept.
Jim Carroll
Frankfort
This story was originally published March 14, 2016 at 6:40 PM with the headline "Don’t raid health fund."