Editorial: New rules needed for insurance perk

Local governments have long complained about the legislature passing laws requiring something be done without allocating any money to do it.

And now, we come to find out, via a story last week by Daily Herald Suburban Tax Watchdog Jake Griffin, that municipalities also have to spend a great deal of money because the legislature failed to properly define what it meant in a law approved 14 years ago. Faced with that uncertainty, the Illinois Supreme Court defined it for them.

And so, as Griffin reported, an Illinois Municipal League study shows that 50 communities surveyed throughout the state spent $11.5 million between 2003 and 2010 on fully covered family medical insurance for 172 former public safety workers.

Why does that matter? Because many of those former firefighters or police officers are gainfully employed elsewhere while getting their insurance paid in full by the towns they used to work for.

Now, let’s be fair. The legislation that allowed this was meant to cover insurance costs for public safety workers (and their families) who suffer injuries on the job that are “catastrophic.” It also would cover workers’ family insurance coverage if the employee were killed.

Certainly, in those “catastrophic” instances, no one should have any complaints — though municipalities tended to fight all requests before the courts got involved. Police and fire employees put their lives on the line for all of us and if something goes wrong, we, as taxpayers, should take care of them.

But the rub is in defining “catastrophic.” The sponsor of the legislation admits today that her intent was not to cover every former employee who gets hurt in any fashion. But that intent was not clearly stated and so the courts broadened who was eligible.

That means former workers who are able to get jobs elsewhere — and could get insurance coverage — are getting a perk that perhaps they shouldn’t.

“I have no problem with a law that makes someone whole. What this law does, though, is give people a windfall. They’re not only getting a disability pension, they’re getting lifetime medical coverage for themselves and their families. It’s going to break municipalities,” said Liberytville Mayor Terry Weppler.

That potential exists. We support tightening up the law and at the same time we urge our lawmakers to take greater care in the wording when passing legislation that taxpayers must fund.

In this instance, great care must be taken to ensure these former public safety workers can get coverage despite their injuries. Representatives of police and firefighters should help draft the new rules along with municipal officials.