Like many Americans, I am very concerned about the rising cost
of health insurance. Perhaps you are, too.
Dear Editor:
Like many Americans, I am very concerned about the rising cost of health insurance. Perhaps you are, too.
My family is fortunate to receive health benefits through my husband’s work, but the money it costs his employer is significant. Because of rising costs, employers’ abilities to offer wage increases are often nullified, even when the economy is strong.
I work as a public school teacher, and my district does not pay the full cost of health insurance. Many of our teachers must pay several hundred dollars a month out of their salaries to cover the rising costs of their health premiums.
In years when the district has the potential to offer a salary increase, the question that is always put to our union negotiators is: “Do you want the money to go into salary or shall we use it for health care?” There is rarely money to do both.
The consequence to teachers is obvious. As long as health care costs keep rising so dramatically, districts won’t be able to offer wage increases. And this is true for employers and workers in all fields, not just education.
What is perhaps less obvious is that there is also a cost to public education. More and more of the money that taxpayers spend on public schools – money which should be going to teacher salaries or class-size reduction or other uses more directly related to education – is being diverted into the health insurance and health care industries.
There is a solution. State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, has introduced legislation Senate Bill 921 to provide single payer health care for all Californians.
On Aug. 25 at 7 p.m, the San Benito County Democratic Party will be hosting a community meeting to review and discuss this legislation. The meeting will be held in the Board of Supervisors Chambers at the corner of Fourth and West streets.
This is an issue which affects us all. I hope to see you there.
Jeanie Wallace, SBC Democratic Central Committee chairperson
