Health insurance premiums for many of the 650,000 state employees, teachers, retirees and their dependents on the State Health Benefit Plan will remain the same or go down next year under a rate plan approved by the Department of Community Health board Thursday.

Approval of next year’s health plans came after months of protests by teachers and retirees over coverage they said didn’t provide enough choices and cost too much. The decision to keep many premiums flat also comes less than three months before a general election in which the focus of much of the protesters’ anger — Gov. Nathan Deal — is up for a vote.

DCH officials said health insurance premiums for some of those in the $3 billion State Health Benefit Plan would go up, and some would go down, based on the coverage and provider they choose. Currently, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia provides three plans. The state announced last month that Blue Cross and two other companies would be offering an expanded menu of plans next year.

Earlier this year, DCH officials said they had to limit the providers and coverage and increase out-of-pocket costs to save money. The switch to Blue Cross and Blue Shield was expected to save the state about $200 million, but DCH Commissioner Clyde Reese said his agency did not see the savings it expected.

John Palmer, a Cobb County school band director and member of the teacher/retiree protest group, said the new rates sound good, but more details are needed. “It looks great today,” he said.