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A bill that would irreversibly change health insurance coverage for state employees has received a 15-7 do-pass recommendation on Monday from the North Dakota House Appropriations Committee. Sponsored by Rep. Kyle Davison, Senate Bill 2160 would change state employees health care plans to comply with the federal Affordable Care Act. Supporters cite two benefits to this policy; it would cover more services including contraception and preventative procedures, and co-pays would apply toward out-of-pocket maximums. The plan would cost around $6.6 million to implement in this biennium’s budget, and that cost is expected to rise to $25 million for the 2027-2029 biennium. One of the components of the bill that is raising complaints is that it would give the state the ability to make employees pay a portion of the insurance premiums, which the state currently covers. Molly Herrington, chief people officer of the Office of Management and Budget opposes the bill, saying the state does not have data on how many staff would prefer to change to the Affordable Care Act plan, and that the state does have data reporting staff consider health insurance the most important benefit provided by the state. Some supporters see this bill as a way to draw new employees in with the promise of more coverage, but some testified the opposite, saying not enough thought has been put into the bill and its consequences.
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