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Beyond Pensions:Florida Local Governments and

Retiree Health Benefits

David S. T. Matkin, PhDAssistant Professor of Public Administration

University at Albany—SUNY

Research Fellow, LeRoy Collins Institute

LeRoy Collins Institute Board Meeting

October 2nd, 2013

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Agenda

• Recent activity

• Summary of our next report: “Beyond Pensions: Florida Local Governments and Retiree Health Benefits”

• Recommendations in “Beyond Pensions”– Previous recommendations– Additional recommendations

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Recent Activity

• 2013 Legislative Session– SB 458 – Ring & Bradley (Died on Calendar)

• Premium tax dollars

– SB 534 – Brandes & Bradley (Passed)• State liability• Actuarial Reporting Standards

• August 2013 – “Doing it Right: Recognizing Best Practices in Florida’s Municipal Pensions”

• “Recognizing and Responding to Retirement Obligations: Other Postemployment Benefits in Florida Cities and Counties” in American Review of Public Administration (Sept 2013).

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Retiree Health Benefit Primer

• What is it?– Retirement Obligations (Healthcare Insurance Subsidies)– New Accounting Standard (Nos. 43 & 45)– Implicit & Explicit Benefits– Actuarial Projections

• Where do we stand?– Size of liabilities– Funding status– Size of annual contributions

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Data

• Annual Financial Reports– Fiscal Year 2011– Two researchers– 100 cities with largest populations (>20,000)• Two cities do not report

– All counties• Ten counties do not report

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Size of Liability as Percent of Payroll

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Governments with Liabilities > 100% of Payroll

• Counties– Franklin– Monroe– Lee (Sheriff Plan)– Pinellas (Sheriff Plan)

• Cities– Bradenton– Cape Coral– Hialeah– Hollywood– Sarasota– Titusville– Miami (Police Plan)

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Funding Approaches

• Pay-As-You-Go

• Unqualified Reserve Fund– Equivalent to Pay-As-You-Go from Accounting Standards

• Qualified Trust– Similar to Pension Funding

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Funded Levels

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Who has a “Qualified Trust”

• Counties

Alachua Palm BeachIndian River SarasotaLee St. JohnsOrange

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Who has a “Qualified Trust”

• MunicipalitiesCoral Springs OrlandoDania Beach Pembroke PinesDavie Port St. LucieDeland SarasotaDelray Beach TallahasseeGainesville TitusvilleLakeland WellingtonMiami Beach West Palm BeachNorth Miami Beach

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Size of Required Contribution as Percent of Payroll

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Percent Contribution Actually Paid

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Increase Necessary for Full Contribution

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Previous Recommendation (1)

• Trouble Ahead Report in February 2011• State agency oversight should be provided, in

statute, to manage local retiree health benefit obligations. This agency should establish standards and provide technical assistance, if desired, to local governments.

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Previous Recommendation (2)

• Trouble Ahead Report in February 2011• Florida lawmakers should give much

consideration to repealing current Florida law requiring the implicit subsidization of healthcare benefits for Florida local governmental retirees.

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Other Recommendations to Consider

• State should require local governments to fund their retiree health benefits on an actuarial sound bases.

• State should make the FRS Health Insurance Subsidy available to local governments, even if they do not participate in the defined benefit system.

• State should establish a defined contribution health savings plan and make available to all local government workers.