"The battle over whether retired public employees should be required to pay health insurance premiums may finally be headed to a Springfield courtroom.... All of the lawsuits argue that retiree health insurance is a protected pension benefit, just like a retirement check. The lawsuit filed by Craven and Springfield attorney John Myers also contends that workers who took advantage of the state's early retirement incentive a decade ago are a special class because they relied on the promise of premium-free health insurance in deciding whether to retire early."

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