I admire the passion of those who attack federal employee healthcare and retirement, but not their lack of facts.
As a retired middle-class federal government employee over 65 I still pay approximately $500 per month for my medical insurance coverage, above the Medicare amount.
As there are a variety of health-care plans federal employees (including members of Congress) can buy into, not everyone’s premium is exactly the same as mine, but mine is typical.
Also, separate from amounts contributed to a 401K type of program, I paid roughly 7-8 percent of my income, from the day I was hired, into my retirement. Federal employees hired after 1983 (and congressmen) are now covered under a new system (http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdfimage/ri90-1.pdf) that provides less of a guaranteed benefit and depends more on a combination of a thrift savings plan into which they must contribute approximately 6 percent of salary and Social Security.
While some states may have more generous plans for their employees, federal employees and Congress do not get free medical coverage or retirement.
Glenn Leach
St. Ann Parish, Long Grove
