2024 Lt. Governor’s Challenge Seeks Applicants for Wellness Leader Awards

Organizations and individuals can submit nominations for the 2024 Lt. Governor’s Challenge by Monday, April 1. 

DOVER, Del. – Are you or someone you know transforming their community by providing services, access, and support in the health and wellness space? Apply for the 2024 Lt. Governor’s Wellness Leadership Challenge awards today.  

Individuals, organizations, and institutions across Delaware can apply for the 2024 Lt. Governor’s Wellness Leadership Challenge awards through Monday, April 1. The mission of the annual Lt. Governor’s Challenge is to recognize local health and wellness programs, policies, or environmental changes that help improve the quality of life of Delawareans.  

“Our Lt. Governor’s Challenge is a meaningful way to recognize initiatives that are drivers of change and support the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of Delawareans,” said Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long, PhD, RN. “Since its inception, we have recognized a variety of organizations and individuals showing leadership and making a difference in the lives of others through data-driven, creative, and community-based approaches. As someone committed to a healthier Delaware, it has been a privilege to see these programs center on unique topics and help residents thrive.”  

The Challenge is more than just a recognition program. It offers applicants the opportunity to demonstrate that they are drivers of change among families, neighborhoods, workplaces, faith-based organizations, and institutions, communities, or schools. Over the years, the Challenge has recognized programs geared toward child educator support, trauma-informed approaches, physical and mental wellness outreach, and more. 

Please submit your nomination here for the 2024 Lt. Governor’s Challenge by Monday, April 1. 

  • Whom can you nominate? Yourself, another individual, or a group or organization (including schools, workplaces, towns/cities/neighborhoods, and communities with a shared interest). You do not have to be involved with a group to nominate it. 
  • Award categories: Health hero, wellness hero, health leader, and wellness leader. 
  • Areas of focus: Emotional well-being, healthy living, chronic disease management and prevention, and mother and child health. 
  • Method of impact: Nominees go above and beyond to drive change through policy, system, and/or environmental (PSE) changes.  

For more information on the Lt. Governor’s Challenge mission and awards, as well as resources to submit an application, visit LtGovernorsChallenge.org


Lt. Gov. Hall-Long Applauds Passage of Senate Bill 2(S) Gun Safety Legislation

DOVER, Del. — Following the Delaware Senate’s passage of Senate Bill 2(S), which would add Delaware to the growing number of states to require a permit and training to purchase a handgun, Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long released the following statement. The bill was sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman and House Majority Leader Melissa Minor-Brown

“Gun violence is a public health crisis, full stop. It’s on all of us to take a stand for safer communities, so I applaud the Delaware General Assembly for passing common-sense legislation to protect our kids and families,” said Lt. Governor Hall-Long, PhD, RN. “Gun violence has caused far too many families to live with aching hearts and an empty seat at their kitchen table. With legislation like SB 2(S), we are on the path toward a safer future. I want to thank the countless advocates and legislative champions like Sen. Lockman and Rep. Minor-Brown for shepherding permit to purchase across the finish line.”  

National data shows that gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States. Going further, research published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) cites that an estimated 4.6 million U.S. children live in homes with at least one loaded and unlocked gun. Delaware law currently requires the safe storage of firearms, which is a best practice to help to protect both adults and children from dire consequences.   

Over the last five years, The First State has pursued comprehensive gun safety legislation. In 2022, Governor John Carney signed a historic package of common-sense gun safety bills including measures to strengthen background checks and raise the age from 18 to 21 to purchase most firearms.  

 


Lt. Gov. Hall-Long Outlines Recommendations to Protect State Retiree Healthcare, Foster Fiscal Sustainability

Hall-Long, chair of the Retiree Healthcare Benefits Advisory Subcommittee, detailed the subcommittee’s report before the Joint Health Committees in the House and Senate.    

DOVER, Del. — Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long on Monday outlined an actionable roadmap to protect state retirees’ healthcare and promote fiscal sustainability during a joint House and Senate Health Committee hearing. 

Meeting before the House Health and Human Development Committee and Senate Health and Social Services Committee, Lt. Governor Hall-Long, chair of the Retiree Healthcare Benefits Advisory Subcommittee, shared findings and recommendations from the subcommittee’s inaugural report analyzing retiree healthcare benefits and long-term funding sustainability.  

The General Assembly established the subcommittee in 2023 in response to concerns about retiree healthcare benefits for current and retired state workers and how to address a growing unfunded liability for those benefits. Sen. Bryan Townsend and Rep. Paul Baumbach serve as vice-chairs. 

“The retiree subcommittee brought a wide variety of stakeholders to the table including members of the General Assembly, retirees, union leaders and cabinet members. We established an unprecedented public process, creating a website to better inform residents, and taking public testimony at every step to make sure everyone was heard,” said Lt. Governor Hall-Long. “I want our retirees to know that their voices matter. Because of you, we were able to put together a robust suite of recommendations that are designed to strike a balance, protecting healthcare benefits for current retirees – including removing Medicare Advantage from consideration – and addressing long-term sustainability so we can provide the best healthcare system for current and future workers.  

“We have a window of opportunity to act, and it requires everyone to take bold steps now to meet this moment and protect and preserve the best healthcare not only for our retirees, but for future generations. I stand ready to work with everyone to turn this report and these recommendations into action.” 

“I want to commend the RHBAS, led by Lieutenant Governor Hall-Long, for their hard work in compiling such a thoughtful and detailed report on an issue that is top of mind for many of our constituents,” said Rep. Kerri Evelyn Harris, chair of the House Health and Human Development Committee. “Our state retirees have earned and deserve quality healthcare benefits and the recommendations put forward by the subcommittee will help guide us in making decisions that prioritize the well-being of our retirees and our state as a whole.” 

“I want to thank the members of the Retiree Healthcare Benefits Advisory Subcommittee for all of their hard work in developing a strong set of recommendations for how the State of Delaware can maintain a robust and affordable retiree healthcare plan for years to come,” said Sen. Sarah McBride, chair of the Senate Health & Social Services Committee. “My hope is that the State Employee Benefits Committee and the General Assembly will now use this roadmap laid out by the RHBAS to help ensure that current and future retirees receive the world-class healthcare services they deserve.” 

The subcommittee fostered an unprecedented public process, meeting 20 times over the course of nine months and collecting 10 hours of public testimony. Members reviewed other states’ Medicare supplemental coverage, individual marketplace and Medicare plans, funding options, and actuarial and financial data.  

The group’s report, published in December 2023, addressed several aspects of retiree healthcare, including strategies to address the Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Fund liability and recommended changes to the process by which the state selects state retiree healthcare plans. The estimated liability for retiree health care benefits is currently $8.9 billion, of which $8.4 billion is unfunded. The net unfunded liability is expected to grow to $20.7 billion by 2042.  

Subcommittee recommendations include:   

  • The state should neither request nor consider a Medicare Advantage plan going forward. 
  • Continue contributing 1% of general fund from the prior year to the OPEB fund.  
  • Increase OPEB pre-funding from 0.36% of payroll to 0.5%, then increase by an additional 0.25% of payroll each fiscal year until it reaches 10%.  
  • Ensure that current Medicare-eligible and pre-Medicare state retirees and state employees who retire prior to January 1, 2025 will be entitled to Special Medicfill/Rx benefits with no changes to the state share percentage of payments when they are Medicare eligible.  
  • Limit changes to plan design, eligibility requirements, or contribution share/percentage to workers hired on or after January 1, 2025.  
  • Solicit public comment before the SEBC holds a public vote to adopt the final request for proposal (RFP) for retiree healthcare plans.  
  • Research and measure the cost of state-sponsored healthcare benefits for three subgroups: current workers, eligible pensioners who are ineligible for Medicare, and eligible pensioners who are eligible for Medicare.  
  • Address the issue of healthcare pricing in Delaware, including statutory, regulatory, and administrative changes in 2024 to bring more transparency, consistency, affordability, and sustainability to healthcare prices and price growth.  

The subcommittee also recommended modifying the state’s calculation for the portion of the state share for healthcare that the state pays for retirees. The percentage is based on the number of years of service for each retiree. The full list of recommendations and additional details can be found in the full subcommittee report and in this press release. 
 
The RHBAS will continue to meet this year to further discuss the issue of retiree healthcare benefits and explore solutions.


Panel Submits Recommendations to Protect State Retiree, Worker Healthcare, Reduce Unfunded Liability

DOVER – A working group charged with addressing state retiree healthcare benefits issued a series of recommendations Friday to help ensure that current and future retirees have access to quality healthcare coverage and the trust fund for the benefits is solvent for future generations. 

The General Assembly established the Retiree Healthcare Benefits Advisory Subcommittee (RHBAS) via Senate Bill 29 in January 2023 in response to concerns about retiree healthcare benefits for current and retired state workers and how to address a growing unfunded liability for those benefits. A 2022 attempt to transition from a publicly managed Special Medicfill Supplement Plan to a Delaware-specific Medicare Advantage plan generated strong opposition from state retirees and an ensuing court challenge to the plan by RISE Delaware. 

Chaired by Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long, PhD, RN, the subcommittee, comprised of elected and state officials, retirees and state union representatives, met more than 20 times during a nine-month period to collect public testimony and review information about other states’ Medicare supplemental coverage, individual marketplace and Medicare plans, funding options, and actuarial and financial data.  

As a result of those meetings, the subcommittee made more than a dozen recommendations to the governor, the State Employee Benefits Committee and the General Assembly to ensure that current and future retirees have quality healthcare without restricting coverage or eligibility, and to reduce the unfunded liability. Included was a recommendation that Delaware neither request nor consider a Medicare Advantage plan going forward. 

“Delawareans and our millions of annual visitors rely on our dedicated, hard-working professionals who keep our state running every day. They educate our children, keep our streets safe, ensure our parks and beaches are pristine destinations, provide critical healthcare, and connect people with vital services,” said Lt. Governor Hall-Long. “It’s extremely important we maintain a strong, viable healthcare system for our retirees and current workers, while ensuring that Delaware remains an attractive employer by continuing to invest in future workers. 

“During this very public process, our retirees and workers spoke about how they valued the current healthcare benefits on which they rely, and we took that seriously. We also took our fiduciary responsibility to reduce the unfunded OPEB liability seriously. The result is a series of recommendations designed to strike a balance, protecting healthcare benefits for current retirees and addressing long-term sustainability for the healthcare system for current and future workers. 

“I’m extremely grateful to the dedication, hard work and collaborative spirit of our subcommittee members – in particular our vice chairs, Sen. Bryan Townsend and Rep. Paul Baumbach, and union representatives – and for the advocacy of so many state retirees. We owe a special thank you to the Department of Human Resources and State Pension Office, whose technical support was essential to this process. I’m pleased to share this report with the governor and General Assembly and hope these recommendations are enacted.” 

The estimated liability for retiree health care benefits is currently $8.9 billion, of which $8.4 billion is unfunded. The net unfunded liability is expected to grow to $20.7 billion by 2042. Last year, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 175, which requires that every year, at least 1% of the total of all general fund operating budget appropriations for the prior fiscal year is appropriated to the Other Post Employment (OPEB) Fund. 

As part of their recommendations, the subcommittee leaned more heavily on funding as the most impactful way to achieve greater long-term stability for retiree healthcare and tackle the OPEB liability. Adjusting eligibility and plan design provided only modest liability reduction. 

“The Retiree Healthcare Benefits Advisory Subcommittee’s success in developing recommendations for an affordable, long term healthcare plan for the State of Delaware’s retirees is the direct result of the passion and commitment of our retiree community and the dedicated labor unions who fight for them and our current state workers each and every day,” said RHBAS Co-Vice Chair Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend, the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 29, which established the subcommittee. 

“A lot of the credit also goes to Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long who led this subcommittee through 20 sometimes contentious public meetings with grace and compassion. Her leadership was instrumental in bringing this subcommittee to a consensus around what I believe is a fair and transparent proposal that I am hopeful will be adopted by the full State Employee Benefits Committee and the General Assembly in the coming months.” 

In addition to its directive that Medicare Advantage not be considered, subcommittee recommendations include: 

  • Continue contributing 1% of general fund from the prior year to the OPEB fund. 
  • Increase OPEB pre-funding from 0.36% of payroll to 0.5%, then increase by an additional 0.25% of payroll each fiscal year until it reaches 10%. 
  • Ensure that current Medicare-eligible and pre-Medicare state retirees and state employees who retire prior to January 1, 2025 will be entitled to Special Medicfill/Rx benefits with no changes to the state share percentage of payments when they are Medicare eligible. 
  • Limit changes to plan design, eligibility requirements, or contribution share/percentage to workers hired on or after January 1, 2025. 
  • Solicit public comment before the SEBC holds a public vote to adopt the final request for proposal (RFP) for retiree healthcare plans. 
  • Research and measure the cost of state-sponsored healthcare benefits for three subgroups: current workers, eligible pensioners who are ineligible for Medicare, and eligible pensioners who are eligible for Medicare. 
  • Address the issue of healthcare pricing in Delaware, including statutory, regulatory, and administrative changes in 2024 to bring more transparency, consistency, affordability, and sustainability to healthcare prices and price growth.

“In the last ten months of 2023, the newly established RHBAS met 20 times, and in the process set the standard, and set it high, for public engagement,” said RHBAS Co-Vice Chair Rep. Paul Baumbach. “I am incredibly proud of the dedication and hard work of the members of the subcommittee, the supporting staff, and of the public.

“We worked together to tackle a multi-billion-dollar challenge, and in the process identified multiple steps to resolve this problem over decades, which is appropriate, given that the problem was created over decades. I look forward to the ongoing work of the RHBAS, and I am hopeful that other public bodies adopt some of the public engagement practices pioneered by the RHBAS.”

The subcommittee also recommended modifying the state’s calculation for the portion of the state share for healthcare that the state pays for retirees. The percentage is based on the number of years of service for each retiree. Currently, the state pays 100% of its share for workers who have 20 years or more of service and pay a smaller percentage for workers who have 15-20 of state service.

The subcommittee recommended requiring workers hired on or after January 1, 2025 to serve at least 25 years to receive the 100% state share, with those working 15-25 years receiving a smaller percentage.

The panel recommended that the state change healthcare benefits provided to Medicare-eligible retirees hired on or after January 1, 2025 with two Medicare Supplement Plans available, one similar to Medigap G and one similar to Medigap L.

The full list of recommendations and additional details can be found in the full subcommittee report.

“I am proud to have been a part of this committee and of the work we have accomplished. We took the time to thoroughly dig into the issues and listen to what the public had to say,” said Delaware State Education Association Executive Director Jeff Taschner. “The crucial feedback from public comments guided and informed our work, it allowed us to come up with

recommendations that meet the needs of retirees and address the concerns they raised throughout the process. If adopted, the RHBAS recommendations will address funding issues that seemed insurmountable and will begin the long overdue process of addressing healthcare pricing issues that negatively impact all Delawareans.”

“The subcommittee showed the willingness of all those involved to come together and resolve a difficult situation in a way that maintains and fulfills the state’s commitment to retirees and their obligation to current employees when they retire,” said Delaware Public Employees Council 81 Executive Director Michael Begatto, a subcommittee member representing thousands of state workers. “Retirees and current workers who were concerned should be pleased with the outcome and feel relieved and secure that they will be protected if these recommendations are accepted. I’m grateful that all parties recognized that our state workers who provide so many services to Delawareans deserved this commitment and worked together to find a path forward. I look forward to these recommendations being approved to honor the work of this subcommittee and stand by our dedicated state retirees and employees.”

“Thanks to the leadership exhibited by Lt. Governor Bethany Hall- Long, Sen. Bryan Townsend and Rep. Paul Baumbach, we were able to get to a place where retiree health care is no longer under imminent threat,” said Delaware State Troopers Association legislative agent Bill Oberle, who served on the subcommittee. “I have served on numerous committees during my legislative and post-legislative career. This subcommittee was unique in that our activities were totally inclusive and thoroughly transparent. It should serve as a model moving forward. It is my sincere hope that the governor, members of the General Assembly and members of the SEBC adopt our recommendations in totality. It represents a rare opportunity to be proactive.”

The RHBAS will continue to meet this year to further discuss the issue of retiree healthcare benefits and explore solutions.


New Claymont Transportation Center Dedicated

The new Claymont Transportation Center was dedicated today as the Harris B. McDowell, III Transportation Center and full service will begin on Monday, December 4, 2023.

Secretary of Transportation Nicole Majeski was joined by Delaware Transit Corporation CEO John Sisson, Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long, the U.S. congressional delegation and numerous federal, state, and local officials to mark the completion of the new $90 million transportation center.

“The opening of the Harris B. McDowell III Transportation Center is a major milestone in the continued economic redevelopment of Claymont and will serve as an important gateway for residents, businesses, and visitors to Delaware,” said Governor John Carney. “As a proud Claymont native, I couldn’t be more pleased to help celebrate the completion of this project, and I want to thank our team at DelDOT for their hard work.”

In 2016, Delaware’s Congressional Delegation of U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons and then-Congressman John Carney helped secure a $10 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the construction of the station.

“The new Claymont rail station is proof of what is possible when local communities work with the state and federal government to bring our infrastructure into the 21st century and support economic development,” said Senators Carper and Coons and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester. “After the closing of the former Evraz steel mill, Delaware rallied behind the Claymont community to help turn economic adversity into an opportunity for redevelopment and job creation. Today, we are celebrating an important step forward in Claymont’s revitalization through the opening of this modern and accessible train station.”

“This was an incredibly complex project many years in the making, and from the beginning hundreds of people from multiple agencies have been involved in this effort with the singular goal of providing Claymont with a first-class transportation center we can all be proud of,” said Secretary of Transportation Nicole Majeski.

John Sisson, CEO of the Delaware Transit Corporation added, “Anyone that has utilized the former Claymont Station knows how challenging it was to catch a train. The design of the new transportation center focused on the user experience, making public transit an easy, convenient, and smart choice.”

The new center, boasting over 800 parking spaces including 13 EV charging stations, two ADA-compliant high-level covered platforms with wind screens, benches and USB charging ports, bicycle racks and repair stations, real-time passenger information displays, and vending machines, opens for SEPTA train and DART and SEPTA bus service on Monday, December 4, 2023.

In October 2022, Governor Carney signed legislation sponsored by State Senator Sarah McBride and State Representative Debra Heffernan to formally name the new Claymont Transportation Center in honor of Senator Harris B. McDowell, III, who represented the First Senate District from 1976 until 2021, becoming the longest-serving member in the history of the Delaware General Assembly.

Information on SEPTA service to Claymont and other Delaware locations can be found here.