$390 Million Rise In State Employee Health Insurance Raises Concerns About Costs And Quality

Maryland’s Board of Public Works voted Wednesday to increase spending authority on health care benefits for state employees by nearly $390 million.

The original spending cap on the health care contracts was close to $5 billion over five years ending in June of 2014. Budget Secretary Eloise Foster said the increase would pay for more people joining the state’s plan since the original health care authorization in 2008.

The federal Affordable Care Act extended the age of eligible dependents to 26 creating a larger pool of participants along with the addition of more spouses of employees.

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