Take Action! Bill to Change State Healthcare in House

HB 7007 is on the floor of the Florida House of Representatives tomorrow afternoon, March 22nd, for consideration. The normal process is to add amendments, if any, on second reading and final vote on the next day of session. In this case, that would probably be on Thursday, March 23rd. The bill authorizes the state group insurance program to include additional benefits and to establish the implementation of benefit levels as described below:

“Beginning in the 2020 plan year, the bill provides that state employees will have health plan choices at four different benefit levels. These levels are:
·    Platinum Level (at least 90% AV)
·    Gold Level (at least 80% AV)
·    Silver Level (at least 70% AV)
·    Bronze Level (at least 60% AV)”

Note: AV is the “actuarial value.”

If the state’s contribution towards the premium is more than the cost of the plan selected by the employee, then the employee may use the remainder to:

• Fund a flexible spending arrangement or a health savings account.

• Purchase additional benefits offered through the state group insurance program.

• Increase the employee’s salary.

The bill does not establish any premiums but directs DMS to recommend employee contribution rates for standard plans and high deductible health plans for the 2018 plan year reflecting the actual benefit difference between the HMO and the PPO plans for both self-insured and fully insured products. There is no analysis of the fiscal impact of this bill on employees in 2020.

UFF Opposes This Legislation As It Adversely Impacts University Faculty!

• This encourages younger and healthier employees to select less healthcare coverage and pocket the money that would be spent on more comprehensive plans.

• The House is looking at the rapidly increasing cost of health insurance and are looking for ways to cut state spending on state employee health insurance.

• State coverage of the increased cost of health insurance is the only significant increase in compensation state employees has seen in almost ten years.

• This would shift costs of health care’s higher premiums to older and illness-prone state employees and university faculty. (This is similar to the difference between Trump Care and Obama Care.)

• The real issue is the inflationary cost of medical services and prescription drugs and this bill does not address this, except in regard to providing some price transparency for services that do not require immediate attention.

Please call your State Representative. Ask them to OPPOSE!

For Alachua County:

Chuck Clemons (850) 717-5021 or (352) 313-6542

Elizabeth Porter (850) 717-5010 or (386) 719-4600

Clovis Watson (850) 717-5020 or (352) 264-4001

Find Your Representative and a list of state representatives here.