7-31-12

Commentqry:  We believe all Alaska citizens who previously thought themselves impervious to oil industry investment climcate policie3s could find value in the story  below.  ADN,Op-Ed by Alaska Commissioner o9ve Adminstraation Becky Hultberg  (NGP Photo):  "...the cost of these plans has soared. In 2001, the annual cost of state employee and retiree health care was about $280 million. By 2011, that grew to about $630 million and the unfunded liability for retiree health care ballooned to $4.1 billion.  Health care costs are more than doubling every 10 years, while the oil production that pays for most of these benefits is declining at a rate of 5 percent to 7 percent annually.  The long-term sustainability of these health plans is in jeopardy. As commissioner of the Department of Administration, my job is to address that problem.