TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – For the fifth year in a row, state employees in Kansas will not have to pay more for health insurance following four years of increases.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly said that on Tuesday, June 20, she applauded the Kansas Health Care Commission as it continues to not increase contribution rates for the State Employee Health Benefits Plan.
Gov. Kelly noted that 2023 marks the fifth year that contributions have been reduced or held flat. In the eight years before she took up office, employee contributions increased five times while the state’s contributions decreased.
“I am pleased with the Health Care Commission’s decision to hold flat the amount that state employees pay to receive health care coverage,” Kelly said. “I strongly believe that the state budget should not be balanced on the backs of our public servants, as this has been the case in the years before I took office.”
Kelly indicated the trend allows employees to project their health insurance costs over time. Previous spikes meant they could not accurately find their take-home pay from year-to-year. Higher premiums also led to a net decrease in employee pay and had a negative effect on morale and turnover.
“Employee benefits are a vital part of the puzzle in making the State of Kansas an employer of choice,” said Secretary of Administration Adam Proffitt, who serves as chair of the Health Care Commission. “I appreciate the work that my fellow commissioners have put into making health insurance costs stable and predictable for state employees.”
The Governor said the plan is the state’s employee health insurance plan which covers more than 40,000 state employees and retires through plans administered by private health insurance companies.
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