Fiscal Note
No appropriation required at this time.
Title
ALTERNATE - Requesting a briefing on health care costs charged to local governments and public employees in Dane County.
Body
WHEREAS, health insurance represents a dramatically growing element of public and private sector costs, currently representing over 17% of our nation’s economy, and;
WHEREAS, local government, tax payers, and public employees have had to allocate scarce resources toward those rising costs, and;
WHEREAS, state property tax levy limits and severe constraints on local control leave limited resources to adequately compensate employees and address high benefit costs, and;
WHEREAS, public employee unions and associations and their employee memberships have worked tirelessly for decades to secure access to affordable health care for all, and;
WHEREAS, the Common Council is interested in policy options available to local governments to help control health insurance costs while maintaining quality benefits for employees,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Madison Common Council requests that the appropriate city staff collaborate with local health policy experts to provide a briefing for the Council, Mayor, and all other interested parties to review current Dane County Medicare payments trends affecting local health insurance costs and propose ways to secure immediate and long-term relief for the City of Madison, its tax payers, and its public employees.