LANSING – House Speaker Andy Dillon (D-Redford Twp.) has appointed State Representative Andy Coulouris (D-Saginaw) to a new Retiree Health Care Reforms Committee, which will focus on addressing the billions of dollars of unfunded liabilities for retiree health care.
"Employees who have dedicated their lives to public service should be protected from losing their health care in their retirement," Coulouris said. "This new committee will examine ways to resolve the problem of unfunded health care liabilities. I am looking forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on this pressing issue."
Michigan's crisis in retiree health care is estimated to total about $20 billion. The high cost of health care is putting immense pressure on Michigan's budget, and drawing resources away from other vital services. The Retiree Health Care Reforms Committee is charged with finding ways for the state to shore up funding for health care and save the state money on health care costs for state retirees and employees.
"Michigan is facing a looming crisis in retiree health care brought on by skyrocketing health care costs, and without action the problem only stands to get worse," Dillon said. "The Retiree Health Care Reforms Committee is charged with finding solutions to the liabilities for retiree health care."
The other newly appointed members of this committee are State Representatives Mark Meadows (D-East Lansing), Dudley Spade (D-Tipton), Lorence Wenke (R-Richland) and Brian Calley (R-Portland).