doodledee

There's yet another state workers' strike on the horizon. The Strib ran an oddly doom-and-gloom story that broke down some of the talking points. In the end, it's mostly about rising heath insurance premiums.

State negotiators say that the skyrocketing cost of health care -- the state share per worker has more than doubled since 1997, to $7,485 -- has forced them to ask employees to pay more: nearly double the current $59 monthly premium for family coverage and an increase in maximum yearly out-of-pocket copayments and deductibles from $2,200 to $5,000.

State workers only pay $59/mo for *family* coverage?! ATTENTION STATE WORKERS: That's less than I pay as an individual. Jesus Johnson, quit your bitchin'. Yes, heath care costs are out of control, but that's another issue entirely, and we're all going to have to pay more until somebody fixes it for all of us.

Wow.