Retirees from the state’s university system are likely to find out next week how much the system will pay toward their health insurance costs for the upcoming year.
The state's Board of Regents is scheduled to set the employer contribution rates during its monthly meeting on Wednesday.
The system has made some changes to its health coverage over the past few years aimed at cutting ever-increasing costs. The most notable change has been the decision to no longer provide Medicare-eligible retirees secondary health coverage on the system's health plan. Instead, beginning Jan. 1, those retirees would be given a set amount of money to buy their own co-insurance through a private health exchange.
The change has caused consternation among some retirees, specifically those from the University of Georgia, who have criticized the rollout of the planned change and wanted more specifics on the contribution amount earlier in the process.
The move is intended to save money on the System’s rising health care costs, and will offer retirees more health care options, System officials have said.
The University System health plan is separate from the State Health Benefit Plan, which covers about 650,000 teachers, state employees, retirees and their dependents.
At Wednesday’s meeting, the Board will also consider streamlining its policy defining a University System retiree and the eligibility for retirement. Currently, University System employees must meet additional requirements beyond those of state employees under the state benefit plan for taking health benefits into retirement. The differences have resulted in some employees meeting eligibility requirements under the state plan but not being eligible to retire with health benefits under the University System plan.
System officials say the differences may limit recruitment from the Department of Education and other state employees. The differences also cause confusion among employees and administrators, and former state employees are often misinformed about the policy and eligibility for retirement requirements.
The changes would bring the University System policy more in line with the retiree health requirements under the state plan.
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