pixel

Health insurance for state employees gets another look

TALLAHASSEE — Compared to other states, Florida’s health insurance plan for government employees is about average.

It doesn’t have the cheapest premiums or the most expensive. The state is generous to its employees, but not to an extreme.

The implementation of federal health care reform has caused more states to analyze spending and a national study released Tuesday provides a snapshot of each state, including how much public workers pay for health coverage and what they get in return.

The State Health Care Spending Project by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the MacArthur Foundation found that on average states require employees to pay 16 percent of their health insurance costs. Florida public workers pay 13 percent.

In Florida, 54 percent of state workers are enrolled in zero deductible plans compared to 45 percent nationwide. Florida doesn’t offer any high-deductible plans, defined as $1,500 or more; nationally, 4 percent of public workers are enrolled in such plans, the report said.

Entire Article: .pdf | Miami Herald