Former employees and first responders of Hampton Township will lose their health benefits.
In a letter sent out to retirees earlier this week, the township said due to revenue loss they will no longer pay for healthcare coverage. The letter also said retirees will be given a $1,000 check to ease the transition.
A retired resident said they are disappointed with the recent announcement.
“I guess there is nothing a lot of anybody can do with it at this point,” a retired resident said. “They say they don’t have enough money, but they keep hiring employees. So, they must have some employees and then they are trying to take my benefits from us after I put 37 years in here.”
The letter said retirees’ benefits will expire on November 30.
The township said not all retirement health benefits were terminated for union retirees.
“Rather, a stipend to purchase insurance will be provided to a retiree until the retiree is Medicare eligible. Upon reaching Medicare eligibility, the stipend will cease, as is the case for all non-union retirees and as will be the case for all active employees who retire in the future,” the township said.
The township said the decision was made to decrease its expenses after a drastic reduction in revenue from Consumers Energy.
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