Health insurance may be scrapped from collective bargaining under Branstad plan

State officials want to remove health insurance benefits from new union contracts with state and local government workers, eliminating those items from Iowa's collective bargaining law for public employees.

Gov. Terry Branstad said Monday the proposal is part of a plan being explored to have all of Iowa's public employees, including those from the state, cities, counties and school districts, placed under one large health insurance program with the goal of providing quality coverage at a lower cost.

"The problem is that you have all these little contracts. If you have a few health problems, everybody’s premiums go through the roof," Branstad told reporters. The concept being explored by state officials would establish a statewide health insurance plan for public employees that would be similar to the Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System, known as IPERS, which provides pensions for public workers, he said.

"I think public employees understand IPERS and what a good program it is, and it is uniform for everybody," Branstad said. "We are looking at: 'Could we do that with health insurance?' So we could provide good quality health care coverage and do it at a lot less cost. That is what we are examining." IPERS' pensions are not determined through collective bargaining under Iowa law, the governor noted.

Read more: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2016/11/21/state-iowa-wants-remove-health-insurance-collective-bargaining/94220250/