Growing CalPERS, CalSTRS Health Care Costs a ‘Threat’ to State Budget, According to Editorial

An Orange County Register editorial argues that projected growth in medical costs through CalPERS and the California State Teachers' Retirement System is a "threat" to California's budget. The editorial notes that a recent state Legislative Analyst report found that retiree health spending is expected to double -- to $3.3 billion -- by fiscal year 2019-2020. "The medical costs are part of what Gov. Jerry Brown (D) brands the state's 'wall of debt,'" the editorial states, concluding, "It looks like the retiree medical and pension crises will have to be addressed, in familiar California fashion, only after a budget crisis strikes."

• "Editorial: Looming Crisis of Costly Retiree Health Care" (Orange County Register, 12/10).