RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina lawmakers went home for the weekend Thursday without an agreement on premiums for the health insurance plan for state workers, teachers and retirees, surpassing a deadline set by plan leaders.
The Senate adjourned without taking up any compromise on a two-year package for the State Health Plan. A new bill is necessary after Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue vetoed a proposal last week that would have required all active workers to pay a monthly premium for their own insurance for the first time.
The House approved a measure Wednesday to retain an insurance option for active workers that avoided monthly premiums, but Senate Republicans balked at the idea because it would have cost more — a House staffer put the amount at $16 million in state funding over two years. The original plan was designed to close a $515 million projected shortfall between revenues and expenses through mid-2013.
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"It just wasn't acceptable to our (GOP) caucus at this point, so there's no reason to stay around," said Sen. Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson, the chief sponsor of the original bill vetoed by Perdue.
Several options have been presented to untie the knot, including giving more retirees that also are covered by Medicare to have a premium-free option, Apodaca said, but there wasn't enough time to work out a deal with the House.
State Health Plan Executive Administrator Jack Walker told legislative leaders last week he would move ahead with enrollment plans for July 1 based on what the premiums were as of Thursday afternoon. House Speaker Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, said the delay likely means a second enrollment will have to occur based on the new premium figures whenever they're approved.
The administrative costs for a second enrollment could cost up to $1 million, Tillis said. He said additional delays also could result in the loss of millions of dollars in savings because co-payments, deductibles and premiums will remain at the current-year's levels after July 1, potentially up to 90 days.
Perdue said last week she vetoed the bill in large part because teachers — in particular the North Carolina Association of Educators — weren't involved in the original negotiations. The NCAE, along with other groups, had been involved in crafting a compromise.
"The governor was encouraged by signs that the House had brought teachers, retirees and state employees to the table and reached a workable solution for the State Health Plan bill," Perdue spokeswoman Chrissy Pearson said, adding that she hopes "they will pick up where they left off next week."
Any compromise would probably keep higher co-payments, deductibles and premiums for dependent care coverage for the 663,000-member plan. It also would likely shift oversight of the plan from the Legislature to the State Treasurer's Office — a key provision sought by the State Employees Association of North Carolina.
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