Opportunity Lost…
As I sat in the State Senate news conference yesterday on the lifetime health care benefit, all I could think was these guys are missing a prime opportunity. Allow me to explain. Lawmakers came under fire recently for a “perk” that had the state pick up their premium for health insurance. The public outcry led House Speaker Brian Bosma to cancel the benefit for the House. The Senate took a different approach and instead of ending the program, mended it. Now the state will pick up more of the tab, but the program will stay here. The Senate had the perfect opportunity to end this program and follow the lead of the House, but instead kept the program. Maybe it’s because a majority of the Senators are at the age where it would be more difficult for them to get health insurance, but you think they would get that benefit from their day jobs, since being a lawmaker is a part-time job. One commentator went on to say the Senators are either very detached or insulated from reality to move forward with the plan. The only good thing to really come out of yesterday’s event was the fact the Statehouse had to be evacuated because of a suspicious envelope with white powder was mailed to the Speaker’s Office; a small reprieve, but probably not enough.
