| 1/9/2006 3:00:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article | Bright takes issue with health insurance plan for legislators
State Rep. Billy Bright is publicly questioning a 2001 law that gives many legislators nearly free health insurance for the rest of their lives.
Any legislator who is in office for three two-year terms plus one day pays only 6 percent of the cost of the lifetime health insurance coverage, which also covers his or her spouse, children and ex-spouses. Taxpayers pay 94 percent of the cost.
“This was drafted under the cloak of darkness and trickery,” Bright, R-North Vernon, said Sunday. “This was passed under a cloak of darkness. Both sides (Republicans and Democrats) joined forces and promised to not make it a campaign issue.”
The cost will increase over time, he said.
“Can you imagine what our children and grandchildren will pay 20 years down the road?” Bright asked. “Millions, billions, who knows.”
Bright said Indiana legislators are the only group in the world who do not need to apply for Medicare.
“No other state has this plan,” Bright said.
Bright is critical of this topic because in his freshmen year of the General Assembly last year, he witnessed an economic overhaul that slashed state jobs and benefits for Hoosiers.
“Why do we ask our state employees to give up more?” Bright said.
A glaring statistic that Bright said bothers him is the number of Indiana residents — 40 percent — who cannot afford health care insurance.
Bright said he believes senators and representatives who leave the General Assembly after their terms are up or who don’t get re-elected should get jobs and get on their employers’ insurance plans. This, however, does not happen, he said.
“The only option for the state is to pay zero,” Bright said.
When Bright crunches the numbers and continues the research of 2001, he is more horrified by the law.
“The only worse thing they (legislators) could do is hold up a liquor store,” Bright said.
When the House of Representatives convened last week, he spoke out in the Republican Caucus.
He said he could not divulge the details of the closed meeting, but did say he expressed anger and frustration with the 2001 law.
“The only solution I see is to get lawmakers to revert their decision and admit this is wrong, or leave their seat,” Bright said. “They are not fit to hold their seat.”
Bright said he will talk about the insurance program for legislators at the Third House gathering where the public can meet local legislators, and hear about and discuss issues.
The first Third House this session will be at 8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Venture Out Business Center, 975 Industrial Drive.
Third House is sponsored by the governmental affairs committee of the Madison Area Chamber of Commerce.
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