| By Bob Weaver
The Calhoun Commission has been "holding breath" over a proposed PEIA health insurance increase next year of 15%, requiring additional money the county does not have for the ten or so county employees and the county's elected officials.
PEIA has now announced no premium increases for health care coverage for 2012-13, but those covered will have to come up with $32 million more in co-pays and some serious benefits reductions.
PEIA covers most state and county workers and officials, including WV teachers and school board employees.
The Calhoun Commission has been already been placed in an adversarial relationship with some county employees over cutting benefits.
The cutting of government benefits is adjunct to most private employers reducing health benfits and in many cases eliminating them, based on the continued escalation of health and prescription costs.
"We've added some co-pays to some services. We're actually going to remove some services that are covered and there's a rather large dollar amount that's associated with one of two pharmacy benefit changes that is significant," said PEIA Director Ted Cheatham.
The prescription drug costs have continued to rise in double digit numbers, with health provider costs continuing its meteoritic increase for at least 20 years.
Most prescription drug costs will increase with coverage changes.
Co-pays would go up for emergency room care and urgent care visits and benefits would be eliminated for some procedures, and in some cases co-pays would be increased to $500 for such procedures as
gastric bypass, knee replacement, hip replacement, hysterectomies and medically necessary dental procedures.
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