42 percent rise in health care costs for court workers is questioned

42 percent rise in health care costs for court workers is questioned

The headline in the Nov. 19 Vindicator identified a request for a Mahoning County Juvenile Court budget increase of $715,000. The largest part of the request is a $500,000 increase for health care costs.

The court administrator stated: “I don’t know if it’s the Affordable Care Act; I don’t know if it’s just the natural rise in cost of health care.” Really?

Prior to submitting the budget request, steps weren’t taken to find out why, mitigate the potential increase, review coverages, change insurer? Can we expect other Mahoning County departments to have 42 percent increases in their rates?

I hope that the county commissioners are interested that everything possible has been done to keep costs down; the taxpayers are surely interested.

Does anyone out there think a 42 percent increase is a “… natural rise in the cost …”?

Obamacare — the gift that keeps on giving. First we pay for the increases in our family health care coverages, then we pay for the increases for our government workers.

Ho-Hum.

Joe Parsons, Youngstown