Still Waiting for Response on Healthcare Benefits

Here is the deal. I have been asking Mr Breeden for about 5 weeks now for information on the new health care plan that the town is going to go on, the State Health Benefit Plan or as it will be known from now on, the SHBP. According to this excerpt from this law that Governor Christie signed on March 22,2010, called NJ Chapter 2, P.L. 2010, it states, and I quote:

General statutory principle: Effective May 21, 2010, to be eligible for health benefits coverage under the SHBP, full-time appointive or elective officers are considered an “employee.” In this case, the law defines an employee as (P.L.2010, c.2, s.9):(i) a full-time appointive or elective officer whose hours of work are fixed at 35 or more per week, a full-time employee of the State, or a full-time employee of an employer other than the State who appears on a regular payroll and receives a salary or wages for an average of the number of hours per week as prescribed by the governing body of the participating employer which number of hours worked shall be considered full-time, determined by resolution, and not less than 25.

I'll be honest, Dave has been very diligent on answering my questions through e-mail, except this one. I'm sure he has talked about this to Mr. Dasti, and I think the public and I should get an answer, do you? This answer could either end the health benefits that the committee gets, or, I would like to hear from Mr. Breeden how and why we will continue to insure the members of the committee. I'd like to know if I am splitting hairs on this subject, this has been an expensive perk that some of the public has been calling for an end to, and I think we deserve and answer.

Here is how I figure it. Mr. Morano gets his health care from the Barnegat school district (taxpayer funded), Mr. Bille gets it from the federal government post office job (but don't quote me on this – taxpayer funded), Mr Cirulli gets his from the Pinelands school district (taxpayer funded), so I guess this would just affect Mr Melchiondo and Mr Lisella, correct? Would they give it up? Dave, how bout some clarity on this one?

I would like some reader feedback on this one: Should they get this perk or not?