A new efficiency report is recommending major changes to state employee health insurance policies in Kansas as a way to save tax dollars. One suggestion would eliminate some insurance options and only provide state employees with high-deductible insurance plans. Democratic state Representative Jerry Henry says that could make it harder to attract or keep state employees.
“They’re staying in state employment because the benefits are a little more attractive than they are in the open market, but this will probably push more and more state employees to look for jobs in the private sector,” says Henry.
Republican state Senator Ty Masterson, who chairs the budget committee, says he recently switched his family to high-deductible insurance coverage.
“And it was a better plan for my family. I think in these types of situations the consternation comes because they don’t understand it fully,” says Masterson.
Another proposal would put all school district employees into a single insurance pool administered by the state.
Masterson says lawmakers will now comb through the recommendations and create bills that would put the suggestions into place.