Rebekah Allen
Advocate staff writer
October 26, 2011
East Baton Rouge city-parish employee Tony Jackson, 54, and his wife rack up hundreds of dollars worth of medical bills every couple months, he said.
Jackson, who has worked for the city-parish for 22 years, has had two strokes and kidney problems. His wife is diabetic and has a pacemaker, he said.
“We have a tendency to go to the doctor quite often,” said Jackson, a senior lab technician at the Baton Rouge Waste Water Treatment Plant on River Road.
Jackson said the past few years have been tough on his family since the city-parish has increased health insurance premium costs by nearly 30 percent since 2008.
On Wednesday, the Metro Council will consider another 3 percent increase for health insurance premiums for city-parish employees in 2012.
“It’s $500 a month for our family. That’s a big hit coming from my income, especially since I haven’t had a raise in three years,” Jackson said.
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