Charlotte, NC – North Carolina faces a problem of $ 500 million. State officials say that the State is running out of money to pay the state health insurance plan for workers, which means that 750,000 state workers will soon pay more for insurance.
“Morality is definitely low. People are just trying to spend the day, you know? It’s sad to see it, ”said Sekia Royall EU 150 state member and employee.
This is the first time that the State has raised premiums for workers in a decade. State officials say that the lowest state workers will go from paying $ 25 per month to $ 45 per month per insurance.
“It will be less in the groceries, except in the nursery. We have to travel from one place to another, ”said Royall.
State Treasurer Brad Briner says that the highest costs of recipes and attention are raising prices.
“5.7% is what our costs are rising over time and the General Assembly has increased approximately 3.5% per year, and members have increased approximately 0% per year,” said Treasurer Briner . “You can’t make these mathematics work for a long time. We did it for almost eight years. We draw the reservations for around $ 1 billion to do that, and we are out of reservations. ”
Briner says that LPG-1 is like Ozempic and Wagovy cost the state $ 100 million a year before officials finished coverage in 2024.
“We will be able to cover those drugs again. I don’t know if that is in 2026 or 2027, but we can certainly do it because it will be affordable, ”said Treasurer Briner.
Briner says that half of the national workforce pays more than $ 400 per month for health coverage and that another half pays less than 400. He says that the increase in the premium will bring the cost of very low to low.
“We ask you to contribute a little more about your payment check to cover an important cost in your life and the life of your family than us, because we really do not have an alternative in the middle and longer. We have alternatives and we are committed to solving those problems in other ways. But we need your help now. And we ask for your support in doing this, ”said Treasurer Briner.
Employees say they want coverage costs to decrease or increase salaries.
“They are no longer giving us an increase as we should. We carry this state. We have been for a long time and, therefore, it is a shame, ”said Royall.
Briner says this is not just a problem in North Carolina. He says that he is becoming more expensive to provide health coverage throughout the country. Briner says that the State will highlight the details of price increases at the meeting of the State Medical Care Plan next month.
