Bill would raise CERS retiree health subsidy; proponents say it will aid recruitment while triggering employer/employee cost sharing

Senator Robbie Mills introduced draft legislation to increase the fixed-dollar retiree health subsidy for members of the County Employees Retirement System (CERS), proposing higher monthly payments per year of service and contribution triggers tied to each health trust’s funded status.

Mills said the draft would raise the nonhazardous career retiree subsidy from $14.63 per month per year of service to $40 per month per year of service, and increase the hazardous-duty subsidy from $21.94 per month per year of service to $50 per month per year of service. "The goal is to better align their benefits with the cost of an 65-year-old health plan," Mills told the committee.

Mills said the bill includes provisions that would vary employee contribution rates depending on the funded status of each health fund over time. He summarized…