As reported by nj.com, a new analysis says the State’s employees pay more than the national average for state government workers toward their health insurance costs.  The analysis by NJ Spotlight notes that the cost of New Jersey’s public employee health insurance coverage remains the third-highest in the United States.  But it also shows the average New Jersey government worker pays more for individual health insurance coverage than public workers in any other state and the 10th-highest premium for family coverage in the nation.  In addition, the analysis shows New Jersey’s state and local government employees are paying a much higher percentage of the cost of their individual health insurance policies than private-sector workers in the state have been paying.

The State’s pension system, which governs the retirement and health care payments for thousands of public workers, has become one of the most controversial issues of Governor Christie’s second term.  in 2011, the Republican governor worked with Democrats to overhaul the pension system, which has been neglected by governors from both parties for years.  At the time, the NJ Spotlight analysis says, the average state worker paid just 3.6 percent of health premium costs, while some teachers, police, and local government employees were paying nothing at all.  But the reforms and Christie and lawmakers ushered in called for the State to make annual payments to the system, while workers promised to pay more into their pensions and health care costs.

As part of the overhaul, how much an employee paid toward their health care would be based on their “ability to pay”-ranging from a low of 3 percent of the premium cost for those making less than $25,000 to a high of 35 percent for those earning more than $110,000 for family coverage.  Earlier this year, though, Christie cut billions in pension payments to balance the state budget after his administration missed revenue projections.  He also said the 2011 pension reforms didn’t go far enough.

Thus, he formed a bipartisan panel of pension experts to come up with suggestions on how to solve the problem.  Last month, they released a report that said the pension system faces $90 billion in unfunded pension and health care liabilities-one of the largest gaps in the country.  The commission is expected to release a second report, with recommendations, sometime this month.  Experts expect one suggestion the panel to make is to ask current employees to pay even more into their health costs.

Democrats have said they are unwilling to consider further reforms until Christie funds the system like he promised under the 2011 overhaul.  They also accused the governor of forming the panel as political cover as he decides whether to launch a 2016 presidential bid.

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Photo of Donald C. Barbati Donald C. Barbati

Donald C. Barbati is a shareholder of Crivelli, Barbati & DeRose, L.L.C. His primary practice revolves around the representation of numerous public employee labor unions in various capacities to include contract negotiation, unfair labor practice litigation, contract grievance arbitration, and other diverse issues…

Donald C. Barbati is a shareholder of Crivelli, Barbati & DeRose, L.L.C. His primary practice revolves around the representation of numerous public employee labor unions in various capacities to include contract negotiation, unfair labor practice litigation, contract grievance arbitration, and other diverse issues litigated before the courts and administrative tribunals throughout the State of New Jersey. In addition, Mr. Barbati also routinely represents individuals in various types of public pension appeals, real estate transactions, and general litigation matters. He is a frequent contributor to the New Jersey Public Safety Officers Law Blog, a free legal publication designed to keep New Jersey public safety officers up-to-date and informed about legal issues pertinent to their profession. During his years of practice, Mr. Barbati has established a reputation for achieving favorable results for his clients in a cost-efficient manner.

Mr. Barbati has also handled numerous novel legal issues while representing New Jersey Public Safety Officers. Most notably, he served as lead counsel for the Appellants in the published case In re Rodriguez, 423 N.J. Super. 440 (App. Div. 2011). In that case, Mr. Barbati successfully argued on behalf of the Appellants, thereby overturning the Attorney General’s denial of counsel to two prison guards in a civil rights suit arising from an inmate assault. In the process, the Court clarified the standard to be utilized by the Attorney General in assessing whether a public employee is entitled to legal representation and mandated that reliance must be placed on up-to-date information.

Prior to becoming a practicing attorney, Mr. Barbati served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Linda R. Feinberg, Assignment Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Mercer Vicinage. During his clerkship Mr. Barbati handled numerous complex and novel substantive and procedural issues arising from complaints in lieu of prerogative writs, orders to show cause, and motion practice. These include appeals from decisions by planning and zoning boards and local government bodies, bidding challenges under the Local Public Contract Law, Open Public Records Act requests, the taking of private property under the eminent domain statute, and election law disputes. In addition, Mr. Barbati, as a certified mediator, mediated many small claims disputes in the Special Civil Part.

Mr. Barbati received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, magna cum laude, from Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Upon graduating, Mr. Barbati attended Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware. In 2007, he received his juris doctorate, magna cum laude, graduating in the top five percent of his class. During law school, Mr. Barbati interned for the Honorable Joseph E. Irenas, Senior United States District Court Judge for the District of New Jersey in Camden, New Jersey, assisting on various constitutional, employment, and Third Circuit Court of Appeals litigation, including numerous civil rights, social security, and immigration cases.