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Digest

Talk of the bay

By TIMES WIRES
Published December 14, 2006

AS HIS SPENDING WENT UP, BUSH'S GRADE DROPPED

Every two years, the antitax, anti-government-spending Cato Institute grades the nation's governors on their performance. So how did Gov. "I-look-forward-to-the-day-when-state-government-buildings-are-empty" Jeb Bush fare this time? Not well. The not-for-profit Cato gave him a "C" as he walks out of the governor's mansion, down from a "B" in 2004 and an "A" in his first term. Why? Florida's "explosive" spending growth, notably Bush's $310-million pet project to lure the Scripps Research Institute here. "The longer a governor stays in office, the more prone he or she is to becoming less fiscally disciplined," Cato wrote.

Retirees covered, but paying more

Big employers did not discontinue their retirees' prescription benefits when the Medicare drug plan started this year, but (no surprise) they did raise overall premiums and co-pays. That was among of the findings of a survey by Kaiser Family Foundation and Hewitt Associates released Wednesday. The study of companies with more than 1,000 employees found that pre-65 retirees are paying more out of pocket for benefits than those over 65, whose company-funded medical coverage is supplemented by Medicare. But employer-provided drug coverage has been relatively unaffected by the new Medicare drug plans, thanks to federal subsidies to employers. And few of the companies surveyed said they intended to discontinue their coverage in the near future. "That's generally good news for retirees," said Tricia Neuman, a Kaiser vice president. "Employer benefits are typically more generous than Medicare drug plans."

[Last modified December 14, 2006, 15:10:27]