District Tracks Health Insurance Premium Hike
While the numbers are still fluid, health insurance costs are set to rise again. It's still too early to know just how much the hike will total, but Huntington School Board members have been told that projections issued by the New York State Health Insurance Plan indicate a double digit increase in premiums charged by the Empire Plan is on the horizon.
The New York State Health Insurance Plan, which is run by the New York State Department of Civil Service, issues quarterly projections of where the Empire premium rates will be in the following year. The projected increases range from 8.9 percent to 14.2 percent or well over $1 million.
The Department of Civil Service comes out with three 'net premium increase' estimates. The district is in a holding pattern until the Department of Civil Service issues its final projections, which is expected to occur in late November or December for the 2013 calendar year.
The three net premium increase estimates include:
• Carrier optimistic projection at 8.9 percent.
• Carrier best estimate projection at 11.9 percent.
• Carrier pessimistic projection at 14.2 percent.
"The 11.9 percent figure is what we will use in our 2013/14 rollover budget calculations at this point," Huntington Superintendent James W. Polansky said.