In light of the ongoing disaster with the severely mismanaged Local Public Employee Benefit Program, Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco (R-25) sent a letter to Gov. Murphy calling on him to take steps to facilitate open and transparent consideration of ideas that could reduce public employee health benefit costs for property taxpayers and union employees.

In the letter, Sen. Bucco suggests that the Governor:

1. Reverse the decision early in his term to disband the Pension and Health Benefits Review Commission, and direct it to finally meet and make recommendations on all introduced legislation they failed to review for the past 8 years.
2. Direct the State Health Benefits Commission or State Health Benefits Plan Design Committee to schedule a public hearing as soon as possible to vet referenced-based pricing and other cost-saving ideas.

An excerpt from the letter reads:

“Your Administration’s decision to kill the commission almost 8 years ago has deprived stakeholders, the public, and legislators of information that Treasury uniquely possesses.

Ironically, you recently called on the Legislature to take action to save a public employee health benefits system your Administration allowed to become insolvent.  If the Legislature is going to act effectively, the Commission needs to do its job and be a part of the process.

For several years, my Republican colleagues on the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and I were ignored by Treasury when we called for greater transparency and a full public vetting of various cost-saving ideas.”

You can read the full letter here.

For years, Republicans have called for alternative solutions to address the collapsing program, warning that it’s putting taxpayers and public workers alike at serious financial risk:

2025:

• Bucco, O'Scanlon: Latest Cost Hike Proposal for SHBP Highlights Dem Failures
• Senate GOP Budget Committee Members Propose Overhaul of Governor Murphy's Broken Budget
• Death Spiral of Local Public Employee Benefit Program is Latest Symptom of One-Party Rule in Trenton

2024:

• Bucco Statement on Nearly Insolvent Local Public Employee Health Benefits Program

2022:

• Senate Republicans Propose Special Committee to Investigate Massive Increase in Public Employee Health Benefit Costs
• Testa Blasts Murphy Administration’s Inaction on Skyrocketing State Employee Health Care Costs
• Oroho & O’Scanlon Blast Secretive Health Benefits Deal

Schepisi Implores State Health Benefits Commission Members to Find Alternatives to Devastating Premium Hikes