SWEENEY, NJEA WELCOME HEALTH SAVINGS FOR EDUCATORS & TAXPAYERS FROM PREMIUM “HOLIDAY”
December 10, 2021
Last Year’s Landmark Health Reforms Help Produce Rate Reductions and Premium Break for Members of School Workers’ Health Benefits Program
Trenton – Senate President Steve Sweeney and Sean M. Spiller, President of the New Jersey Education Association, today praised the savings produced by the landmark reform plan developed by the Senate President and the NJEA following the announcement of a rate reduction and premium “holiday” that will save educators, school districts and taxpayers more than $100 million.
“These are real savings for educators and taxpayers across the state at a critical time,” said Senator Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland). “The reforms produced tangible savings as members face unprecedented challenges in their own lives as well as in their classrooms, and preserve quality health care as we all work our way out of the pandemic. This shows that premium health care services can be made more affordable at the same time savings are produced for school systems and taxpayers. This is a winning formula for everyone.”
“This premium holiday is proof that Chapter 44 is the win-win-win law that we promised when it passed 18 months ago and that working together to control costs benefits everyone,” said NJEA President Sean M. Spiller. “Our members will pay less, NJ school districts will pay less and taxpayers get the benefit of lower costs for everyone. And we did it all while preserving high-quality health insurance benefits. It is proof that when we all work together we can all win together.”
The rate reduction and one month break on premium contributions for teachers and other educators enrolled in the School Employees’ Health Benefits Plan will take effect in 2022, according to the Treasury Department.
The NJ Educators Health Plan was the product of a plan developed by Senate President Sweeney and Marie Blistan, then the President of the New Jersey Education Association. The legislation, S-2273/A-20, was sponsored by Speaker Craig Coughlin in the Assembly and signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy on July 1, 2020.
