Christie Proposes Higher Health Costs, Cutting Payouts
This article is for subscribers only.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie proposed lowering pension benefits for state and local workers and making them contribute more to health-insurance costs.
Christie, a Republican who took office in January, called on lawmakers to roll back a 9 percent benefits increase approved in 2001 and indefinitely freeze cost-of-living adjustments to help reduce the state’s $46 billion pension deficit. He proposed making workers cover 30 percent of their health costs, up from about 8 percent now.