Town of Benson Board of Commissioners have unanimously agreed to transition primary medical coverage for town employees to the North Carolina State Health Plan. Benson will officially join the State Health Plan on January 1st, 2016.
The move comes after the North Carolina General Assembly passed a bill allowing local government employees across the state to join the health insurance option that has been traditionally only offered to employees of the State of North Carolina.
“Moving health coverage to the State Health Plan could save the Town of Benson $63,000 per year,” said Mayor William Massengill. “As health insurance premiums continue to rise the Town Board of Commissioners knew we had to take advantage of this great opportunity to save money and improve the benefits that we offer to our staff at the same time. This decision was a no-brainer once we calculated the annual savings.”
Transitioning to the State Health Plan will offer other benefits besides the cost savings in premiums paid by the Town of Benson on behalf of its employees. Staff members that choose to purchase insurance for their spouse or children will see their out-of-pocket expenses drop significantly. The State Health Plan has seen much smaller year-to-year increases, as compared to the Town of Benson’s recent experience. This will benefit the Town of Benson as staff can more confidently predict health insurance costs when budget planning begins.
