In an effort to save money on health insurance costs, many states are forcing long-time employees to either start paying their own medical, or leave.

And in a lot of cases, they're leaving.

It's an unfortunate and frustrating story. Redorbit.com offers several examples of hard working people driven out of their jobs early in the name of health insurance.

One woman, who could have retired in 5 and 1/2 years with full pension based on her $46,600-a-year accounting job at the sate Department of Corrections has to leave because to do otherwise would bankrupt her in healthcare costs.

Others took jobs that a lot of people turn up their noses at based on their willingness to do hard work, so long as they got good benefits in return. Now, they're being forced to leave or lose those benefits.

And now rising health insurance costs are becoming such a burden for many states that the traditionally big draw of good benefits won't exist for most state jobs.

New employees will be expected to pay for their health insurance coverage, which will likely make a big dent in what is already traditionally a smaller paycheck.