Assembly Governmental Employees Committee chairman Peter Abbate, D-Brooklyn, has introduced legislation that would bar the state from lowering health insurance benefits of retired public employees or prevent “unilateral changes” in health insurance premiums.

The measure is before his Assembly committee tomorrow.

Health-insurance costs for retirees have become an increasing concern for state and local governments as they also grapple with rising pension costs for retirees. A report in October from the Empire Center for Public Policy found governments and schools face a unfunded liability for public-sector retiree health insurance of a whopping $205 billion.

Abbate’s bill says the current protection against changes to retirees’ health-insurance coverage only applies temporarily to school-district retirees. He would want to lock in the coverage for all state employees, although the benefits could be changed under new collective bargaining agreements.

“This legislation seeks to protect health insurance coverage for all public sector retirees. It provides that a public employer may not unilaterally reduce benefit coverage or employer contributions unless making a parallel reduction for active employees,” the bill states. “This does not prevent public employers from reducing benefits as a cost-cutting measure, but does, in effect, require that any such reductions be the result of union negotiations.”…..

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