CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A mix of business, industry, education, labor and legislative leaders make up the 23-member PEIA Task Force named by Gov. Jim Justice Thursday.
The creation of the task force to work on a permanent fix for the health insurance plan for state workers operated by the Public Employees Insurance Agency was one of the moves that helped stop the nine-day state education workers strike that ended earlier this week.
The members include Brickstreet Insurance CEO Greg Burton, state Senate President Mitch Carmichael, West Virginia American Federation of Teachers President Christine Campbell and West Virginia Education Association President Dale Lee.
The task force was created by Justice’s executive order entered last week. It will meet for the first time next Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the state capitol and will be chaired by Justice administration Chief of Staff Mike Hall.
Hall told MetroNews earlier the “fix” may include designating a certain amount of general revenue money off the top to PEIA each year like the legislature did with the workers’ compensation debt a few years ago.
“It may be in the range of 20, 30, 40 million (dollars) every year that you would have to say that off the top this goes to PEIA and it maintains the benefit levels that this group (PEIA Task Force) would determine would be a fix,” Hall said.
The members of the task force include:
Marty Becker, Chairman of the Board of Directors, QBE Insurance Group
Greg Burton, CEO Brickstreet Insurance
Andy Paterno, CEO Centurion Insurance Services
Joe Letnaunchyn, President & CEO, West Virginia Hospital Association
Rob Alsop, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, West Virginia University
Nelson Spencer, McDowell County Schools Superintendent
Perry Bryant, founder, West Virginians for Affordable Healthcare
Senator Mitch Carmichael (R-Jackson)
Senator Robert Plymale (D-Wayne)
Senator Craig Blair (R-Berkeley)
Delegate Eric Nelson (R-Kanawha)
Delegate Roger Hanshaw (R-Clay)
Delegate Mick Bates (D-Raleigh)
Geoff Christian, current member PEIA Board
Christine Campbell, President, American Federation of Teachers West Virginia
Dale Lee, President, West Virginia Education Association
James “Joe” White, Executive Director, West Virginia School Service Personnel Association
Dr. Rahul Gupta, Commissioner of Department of Health and Human Resources Bureau for Public Health and State Health Officer
Douglas Kirk, Division of Highways
Lieutenant Michael LaFauci, West Virginia State Police
The Honorable Jeffrey Reed, Retired Wood County Circuit Court Judge
Judy Hale, Retired Public Educator