“This is the governor basically vetoing her own plan.”

It’s fascinating that Gov. Perdue has no problem sticking North Carolinians with an extension of a so-called “temporary” sales tax hike, but uses the veto to prevent state employees from paying a mere $11 to $22 per month for their own health insurance coverage. It is a veto divorced from fiscal reality.  So you tell me: policy or politics?

The plan would have required employees to pay premiums for the first time and instituted higher co-pays and deductibles. The State Employees Association of North Carolina worked on the bill, but the N.C. Association of Educators did not.

Perdue proposed premiums in her budget for one of the insurance options, but would have maintained basic coverage at no cost.

“This is the governor basically vetoing her own plan,” said Senate leader Phil Berger, an Eden Republican.

The veto occurs as we deal with the stark reality of government growth as noted by JLF Director of Health and Fiscal Policy Studies Joe Coletti in his recommended state budget: Between December 2007 and December 2010, private-sector employment shrank 9.1 percent, while state and local government payrolls grew 4.2 percent.