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“If we’re to trust a government role in health care reform, government should set a high standard,” stated Williams. While state employees, per collective bargaining agreements, will continue to pay no more than 12% of their required premium costs, the PEBB projects that deductibles and fees for services will increase dramatically because the state budget purposefully did not provide for those employee costs.

Noting that all top priorities of organized labor were killed during the 2009 legislative session, Williams stated: “This is yet another hangover from an anti-labor session, and a calculating means of subverting a collective bargaining process intended to fix employees’ health care costs. It’s worth noting that a ‘no-new-taxes’ Legislature effectively did tax easy targets: college students and state employees.” Williams pointed out that the Oregon Legislature, which has increased taxes in its ongoing legislative session, will continue to cover 100% of state employees’ health care premium costs.