Rhode Island State workers retiring early because of health-insurance costs

Overpaid Government Worker reports:

Linda Folcarelli loves her state job too much to leave. But she loves her state health benefits too much to stay.

So when the General Assembly enacted a new law requiring state employees to pay more — in many cases, a lot more — for their medical coverage when they retire starting Oct. 1, she had to make a difficult choice.

Folcarelli, who is 51 and single, could wait another 5½ years to retire from her $46,600-a-year accounting job at the sate Department of Corrections and get her full pension — but pay twice as much for her medical benefits

Do you get to retire at 51 years old?