5-20-15 state employee insurance

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A state insurance board has voted to add deductibles and increase out-of-pocket payments in state employees’ health care plans in a move that could cost workers $85 million over the next two years.  The state Department of Employee Trust Fund’s Group Insurance Board approved the measure on a 9-2 vote Tuesday. Gov. Scott Walker’s budget calls for saving $81 million on health care coverage, but doesn’t lay out how. The board’s action generates that savings.  The majority of Wisconsin state employees don’t pay a deductible. Under the plan, they would pay $250 annually. That amount would double for families.  Annual maximum out-of-pocket payments would also increase from $500 to $1,000. Families covered by the program currently pay a maximum $1,000. That would increase to $2,000.