Government workers to pay more for insurance

By Cy Ryan

Monday, Oct. 13, 2008 | 2 a.m.

The state’s health insurance program must find $55 million in savings over the next two years.

Administrators said last week they will use a combination of higher premiums and reduced benefits to implement the 14 percent reduction, which is being applied to all agencies for the 2009-11 state budget.

Members of the state Public Employees’ Benefits Program Board voted unanimously last week to raise deductibles from $500 to $850 to $900 for an individual. The deductible is paid before coverage kicks in.

Also, people currently receive a discount on their deductible, taking it from $500 to $250, if they fill out a questionnaire. That benefit will be eliminated.

Starting in July 2010, the deductible will be indexed to inflation.

Also, the board agreed Thursday to eliminate some coverage for psychotherapy and neurotherapy. A full picture of the increases plus the cutbacks will be given at the Nov. 6 meeting of the board.

The increase in the deductible plus some other changes would mean a savings of $27.5 million a year over the next two fiscal years.

The system covers more than 42,000 state and local government employees and retirees. Including dependents, 70,000 people are covered by the plan.

Leslie Johnstone, executive director of the system, said she doesn’t expect the changes will be well-received.

“The participants will not be happy,” she said.

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Another candidate in Clark County has received a letter of apology from the secretary of state’s office.

Ryan Fitzgibbons, a candidate for Assembly District 17, was wrongly included on a list of candidates who hadn’t filed campaign finance reports by the deadline.

The secretary of state’s office said originally that 30 candidates in Clark and Elko counties had failed to file their reports by Aug. 5. The office sent letters to the candidates informing them that they would face fines.

An error in the election reporting system resulted in a few candidates in Clark County being wrongfully included on the list. The secretary of state has issued letters of apology to those candidates.

Fitzgibbons said his report was submitted on time and posted on the secretary of state’s Web site with the correct filing date.