MEA Votes

Think that HB 5345, the proposed mandatory health plan for public employees, will save hundreds of millions of dollars and ensure everyone has coverage? Well, you might want to think again, based on experiences in New Jersey and North Carolina.

Former Gov. John Engler was famous for his attacks on public school employees and their unions during his 12 years as governor.

So, it’s not surprising that he thinks the scheme for a mandatory health plan for public employees is a great idea – it’s the attack on the hard-earned benefits and bargaining rights of these dedicated workers that he dreamt about for more than a decade.

Engler broke his normal silence on state political matters yesterday, receiving lots of media coverage on his predictable position.

But no one should be fooled by the rhetoric about financial savings that he and other proponents of the plan are promoting. All three experts who testified at yesterday’s hearing on the proposal said that there was no data proving cost savings would come from this plan – watch the video of the testimony for yourself below or view testimony of all the hearings on MEA's YouTube channel.