In response to Gov. Maura Healey’s decision to no longer seek drastic spikes in most of the out-of-pocket health care costs for public employees, the Massachusetts Teachers Association is canceling two rallies that had been scheduled for Tuesday in Boston and Springfield. The union, however, is urging the state to continue coverage of GLP-1 medications for weight management, which is set to end.
The governor withdrew her call to shift more costs to workers who are covered by the Group Insurance Commission, which offers health care coverage used by roughly 460,000 state and municipal employees, retirees and their families. The GIC was considering changes to insurance plans that would have resulted in higher copays and deductibles for working families, who already will be paying for their portion of annual premium increases.
The GIC is poised to act Thursday on a recommendation that plans for public employees no longer cover GLP-1 medications, when solely used for weight loss.
MTA President Max Page and Vice President Deb McCarthy issued the following statement:
“Stopping the harmful increases in the copays and deductibles that public sector workers would have had to sustain under health care cost shifts proposed by the governor is a huge victory. Thousands of MTA members were among those sending messages to the governor, GIC commission and state legislators urging them not to balance the state budget on the backs of workers. We appreciate the governor’s willingness to listen to those affected by her decisions and to reconsider proposals, like this one, that would have had a negative impact on so many families.
“Had these cost shifts been adopted, it is likely that every municipal employee would have felt the impact since cities and towns that do not belong to the GIC use the commission as a benchmark for setting their own insurance plan costs.
“Health care in this country is broken, but asking public employees to pay more is not the solution. Instead, workers and policymakers need to work together to come up with solutions to address the health care affordability crisis – starting with reining in pharmaceutical companies and other health care providers who are raking in record profits from our members and the Commonwealth. In that light, MTA members will continue to fight for affordable access to GLP-1 medications that have been life changing for so many people.”
