| Decisions will be made in December on how health benefits will be changed for those covered through the Public Employees Insurance Agency, the insurance program for state workers, to reduce costs by $40 million.
"We've proposed about three pages worth of changes for people to consider â everything from co-pays, deductibles, family out-of-pocket maximums, co-insurance changes potentially, the gamut," said Ted Cheatham, PEIA director.
Cheatham said higher co-pays for prescription drugs has been getting a good amount of pushback during public hearings.
Critics have called on PEIA to leave benefits intact and, instead, spend down surplus funds to cover rising health care costs.
That's been happening for several years.
For Plan Year 2016, which begins next July, Cheatham said there will no longer be any surplus.
By state law, reserve fund cannot go below the 15 percent mark or $105 million. Without benefit cuts, that level would be exceeded.
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