Providence Journal photo / Bob Thayer
Woonsocket pensioners line up to ask questions at a special meeting of the Woonsocket Budget Commission on ways to cut back on pension costs Monday at Woonsocket High School.
WOONSOCKET -- The city's Budget Commission is looking to suspend cost of living increases for city retirees, move those eligible off city health plans to Medicare and put those not eligible for Medicare onto the same plan the commission wants current city workers to join, the state director of revenue told a crowd of retirees at the high school today.
Without the cost-reducing cutbacks in benefits, state Revenue Director Rosemary Booth Gallogly said the city's pension fund could go broke in nine years.
To soften the blow, the commission is offering to pay up to 80 percent of the cost of Medicare supplemental insurance, but that would still be a significant increase for some retirees, who haven't had to contribute anything toward their health insurance.