Wis. school districts and insurers feud over federal dollars

Wis. school districts that have switched insurers are seeking to get health insurance company affiliated with Wis. teachers' union to release federal funds designed to help cover early retirees, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: WEA Trust Keeps Money From Districts That Switched Coverage
A health insurance company affiliated with the state's largest teachers union is refusing to release hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal money to school districts that recently dropped the company in favor of less expensive providers. The federal money, which the nonprofit WEA Trust applied for on behalf of individual school districts, is intended to offset high-cost medical claims for early retirees ages 55 and older who are not yet eligible for Medicare (Herzog, 7/3). 

Meanwhile, in California, many municipalities are looking at the health benefits they provide to employees.

Los Angeles Times: Many Small Cities Pay Officials Hefty Health Benefits
Medical benefits have come under increased scrutiny in several communities as cities have been forced to slash budgets and as the Bell salary scandal has reverberated around the state. In the last year, cities including Redlands, Hemet, Vernon and Thousand Oaks have reduced benefits or eliminated council medical benefits, though in many cases the new rules don't apply to current council members (Saillant, 7/4).