“Municipal unions should raise a holiday toast to gullible Massachusetts taxpayers for their willingness to absorb disproportionate pain from increases in health insurance costs. Bostonians, for example, sit by passively while city workers, who pay just 10 percent of premium costs for their HMO coverage, gobble up nearly half of the annual increase in the city’s operating budget. The nonprofit Boston Municipal Research Bureau warns in a report published today that ‘Boston cannot maintain its reputation as a competitive place to live, work, and invest’ if city employees don’t do their share to lower healthcare costs. Health insurance spending by the city, estimated at $235 million for the current fiscal year, has jumped 92 percent over the past six years. The report notes that it requires the annual property taxes from five average homeowners in Boston to pay the roughly $14,000 needed to cover one city worker’s family plan. The cost of healthcare is the tapeworm of municipal finance, and it needs immediate attention.” (11/30/06)