SEANC’s Ardis Watkins on the state health plan and the possibility of big premium hikes
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SEANC Executive Director Ardis Watkins (Courtesy photo)
One group that’s suffered the most in recent years as a result of the pennywise pound foolish fiscal policies of the North Carolina General Assembly are our state employees. Thanks to massive revenue declines resulting from repeated tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy, state employee salaries have lagged, and job vacancies and worker stress have soared.
Now comes word of more potential bad news. According to the new state Treasurer, Republican Brad Briner, the State Health Plan on which so many state employees and their dependents rely is deep in the red and enrollees could see big premium hikes of as much as 15%. So, what, if anything can be done? NC Newsline recently caught up with State Employees Association of North Carolina (SEANC) executive director Ardis Watkins, who told us while an infusion of cash from lawmakers would help, so too would an infusion of transparency from the corporate health insurance industry.
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