Change in state coverage leaves retirees in lurch

My wife and I are both retired state employees. We have been notified several times this summer that our state health insurance plan will no longer cover prescription drug costs effective Jan. 1 and that retirees should purchase a Medicare Part D plan to cover those costs.

The members of the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Board who voted for this obviously did not investigate what Part D plans cost. Continuing with my state coverage for other health care expenses and purchasing a Part D plan will more than double what I currently spend on health care from roughly $3,600 to about $7,500 per year. Oh, and they tell us that, congratulations, our state premium will not increase. But, apparently, it won’t be adjusted to reflect the reduction in coverage. They could have doubled my insurance premium and it still would have been less expensive.

I haven’t priced out my wife’s coverage to help her decide what she should do, but I will be forced to leave the state health care system. A Medicare Advantage plan, which will offer somewhat more coverage than I currently have, is slightly less expensive than the cheapest Part D plan. I would not do this willingly, since it is not possible to re-enter the state health care plan once one leaves, but I am being forced to.

We were not given an opportunity for input in this matter; we were just informed of the decision. There is really no place to go for help. I’m assuming the Legislature is just fine with this, assuming they even know about it.

The fact is people are being slowly bled to death by health care expenses. It is a leading cause of bankruptcy in this country. As long as health care continues to be money driven, it will continue to be expensive, and the majority of people in this country will have to continue to make hard choices. STEVE IMHOFF Fayetteville