$59.4K per taxpayer: NJ government debt burden highest in the nation
New Jersey is getting better about divulging its tops-in-the-nation debt burden but still isn’t entirely up front about the depth of that hole, says a think tank report. Continue reading…
View ArticleGOP leader who may run for governor has 7 ideas to make Trenton work
With the Legislature about to return to Trenton after the summer slowdown, a top Republican lawmaker who may run for governor is urging an ambitious agenda. Continue reading…
View ArticleThere are common sense answers to fixing health care in NJ
Why won't anyone in NJ address the fact that the budget hole made by higher Medicaid costs, can be solved if we'd look at common sense proposals like renegotiating state health benefits? Continue reading…
View ArticleHealth premiums for NJ public workers will be cheaper in 2018
Some good news for public workers, retirees and the taxpayers who help cover their health-care costs: Rates will be going down in 2018. Continue reading…
View ArticleUnions, Murphy agree to save taxpayers $500 million
State and local government – and by extension, the taxpayers who fund them – should save almost $500 million under health-plan changes agreed to by unions. Continue reading…
View ArticleMerge teachers' health plan? Murphy, Sweeney far apart on idea
The Senate president says big savings would result if the state's health plans for teachers and other public workers merge. The governor doubts his numbers. Continue reading…
View ArticleCWA says Sweeney plan could damage pensions, not save them
Public workers union steps up criticism of 'Path to Progress,' with bills enacting portions of it expected to be introduced soon. Continue reading…
View ArticleNew health plan for teachers proposed, with promise of savings
Senate President Steve Sweeney and NJEA bury their longtime feud to propose health plans in which teacher contributions are a share of salary, not premiums. Continue reading…
View ArticleNJ Senate sends 26 emergency virus-response measures to Murphy
The bills include a funds for businesses, food banks, welfare benefits and lost wages. Senate President Steve Sweeney says more are sure to follow. Continue reading…
View ArticleSorry, Connecticut! NJ long-term finances no longer rank worst
An annual report from the think tank Truth in Accounting finds New Jersey's long-term debt, pension and health-benefits bills amount to $58,300 per taxpayer. Continue reading…
View ArticleGovernor Christie Wants A Constitutional Amendment
Governor Christie is furious after a state judge ruled members of the judiciary should not be forced to contribute more for their pension and health benefits. During a news conference at the...
View ArticleHealth Benefits Costs Up, Employees Could Pay More [AUDIO]
According to the National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans, conducted annually by Mercer, growth in the average total health benefit cost per employee, which had reached 6.9% last year, slowed...
View ArticleConsumer-Friendly Health Plan Briefs Coming Soon
Don't have the slightest clue what your health insurance covers? Continue reading…
View ArticleHealthcare Costs Keep Growing [AUDIO]
Nationwide, according to a survey by Mercer in Princeton, the average cost of health benefits for employees increased in 2012 by 4.1%, the smallest amount in 15 years. In New Jersey alone, though,...
View ArticleAOL Chief Reverses Baby-Blaming 401(k) Cut
AOL Corp. CEO Tim Armstrong has abandoned an unpopular plan to delay company contributions to employee retirement accounts and apologized for citing two high-cost births as part of the impetus for the...
View ArticlePolice Unions Push for PTSD Medical Coverage
Police unions across the U.S. are pushing for officers to be able to collect workers' compensation benefits if they suffer post-traumatic stress disorder, whether they got it from the general stress of...
View ArticleHigh court poised to decide birth-control dispute
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court is poised to deliver its verdict in a case that weighs the religious rights of employers and the right of women to the birth control of their choice. Continue reading…
View ArticleStudy shows employers shifting more medical costs to workers
Employers are leaving a bigger chunk of the bill for care to workers who use their health insurance, and benefits experts see few signs of this trend slowing. Continue reading…
View ArticlePanel: NJ can save $2B by cutting pensioners’ health costs
New Jersey can save more than $2 billion annually by reducing health benefits for public pensioners, according to a new report released Thursday by a panel appointed by Gov. Chris Christie to look at...
View ArticleChristie on Sweeney: ‘It’s an all-love relationship’ (WATCH)
Gov. Chris Christie shot down the idea he has a love-hate relationship with Senate President Steve Sweeney -- who might not mind some distance heading toward 2017. Continue reading…
View ArticleIs this the plan to pay for NJ’s roads and rail … without a gas tax hike?
Sen. Jen Beck, on Bill Spadea's morning show, unveiled a revised plan she says taxes care of New Jersey's infrastructure without burdening taxpayers. Continue reading…
View ArticleNJ must cut back health benefits to afford public pension payments, lawmaker...
A Republican lawmaker believes that if New Jersey were to guarantee pension payments in its constitution, the law should provide for a temporary "escape hatch" in years that tax collections fall short,...
View ArticleWill Murphy block big spike in NJ worker benefit costs?
Murphy admits to 'sticker shock' over benefit costs, but won't say if he will block them Continue reading…
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