Health insurance costs for state employees in Kansas will be rising again next year.
The increases vary depending on the plan, but rate hikes range from around 9 to 30 percent, with additional increases for dental and vision coverage. Rebecca Proctor, with the Kansas Organization of State Employees, says there are some state workers making around $12 to $14 an hour, so the rising costs really hit their bottom line.
“When you look at, for instance, an increase of $40 a pay period, that’s a lot of money," Proctor says. "That’s $80 a month that could pay an electric bill, that could pay school fees, that could buy groceries."
Proctor says this will be the second year in a row of sizeable cost increases when state workers haven’t had an across-the-board pay increase for more than five years. A spokesperson for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment says health care costs are rising and state officials had to adjust the employee contribution amounts.
