Between two and three thousand public employees could be eligible for an early retirement package if state Sen. Colin Bonini (R-Dover South) becomes governor.
Bonini released details of his plan this week, which would tack on a three-year pension credit for those choosing to take the deal.
“If we don’t make some decisions now with things like early retirement and Medicaid reform, we are going to end up having to make layoffs or whatever the case is in the future so let’s do the smart, let’s do the prudent thing now so we can put our budget back on track," he said.
In reforming Medicaid, Bonini argues fraud and waste account for up to 25 percent of its more than $765 million general fund allocation.
Last year, a state pilot program found $11 million in potential illegal charges on Medicaid accounts over the past three years – far less than the $200 million Bonini estimates.
He says more savings could be found. Bonini would direct state officials to issue secure cards with a person’s medical history on it to prevent double charges or unnecessary tests.
“These are common sense, sort of preventive, reforms that I think will free up just extraordinary amounts of money in the budget and then once you have that sort of breathing room, we can talk about all the other things that folks want to do," he said.
Both initiatives would need legislative approval from the Democratically controlled General Assembly.
