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Olathe retirees and public‑safety employees urge council to revisit large 2026 health‑insurance premium increases
Summary
A dozen current and retired Olathe public‑safety workers told the City Council on Nov. 4 that planned 2026 increases in retiree health‑insurance premiums would impose sudden, unaffordable costs, and asked the council to reconsider or phase the changes.
A dozen current and retired Olathe public‑safety employees told the City Council on Nov. 4 that proposed retiree health‑insurance changes for 2026 would impose sudden, unaffordable costs on people living on fixed pensions.
Speakers — including Carrie Buser, president of the Olathe Fraternal Order of Police and a current Olathe detective; retired employees Damon and Gina Bell; retired fire and police personnel such as Gary Nickerson and Steve Minki; union representatives including Tyler Raleigh of Olathe Professional Firefighters Local 2542; and retired and current officers including Eric Hardman — described individual premium increases ranging from several hundred dollars a month to many thousands of dollars a year. "I'm going to go from roughly having to budget about $10,000 for my health care. Now,…
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