New poll: Illinoisans want to bring state employees’ health-insurance benefits in line with their own

The health-benefits package provided to state workers contains much richer benefits than the average Illinoisan might receive, while paying a smaller amount for these benefits.

According to a new public-opinion poll commissioned by the Illinois Policy Institute, the vast majority of Illinoisans believe state-government workers should receive health-insurance benefits that are equal to those available to taxpayers. Today, the health-benefits package provided to state workers contains much richer benefits than the average Illinoisan might receive, and state-government employees pay a much smaller amount for these benefits.

When asked, “Should Illinois’ state-government workers receive taxpayer-paid health-insurance benefits that are MORE generous, LESS generous or EQUAL to what the average Illinoisan receives?” more than two-thirds of respondents said those workers should receive equal benefits.

According to new research from the Illinois Policy Institute, active state-government employees in Illinois are paying approximately 17 percent of the total cost of their health-insurance coverage. That is far less than what a private-sector worker or someone buying insurance on their own in Illinois might pay.

For example, a worker participating in an employer-sponsored insurance plan contributed an average of 22 percent of premiums for individual coverage and almost 26 percent of premiums for family coverage in 2013. When purchasing coverage on the health-insurance exchange established by the Affordable Care Act, the average family might pay $559 per month after applying the federal health-insurance subsidy, while the state-government worker might pay $218 per month – less than half – for a similar plan.

There is strong public support for bringing health-insurance coverage for state-government workers closer in line with both what the average Illinoisan has access to and pays for that coverage. The Institute’s work shows that by retooling the health-insurance offerings to state workers, taxpayers stand to save $1 billion while still offering a generous benefit that meets workers’ individual needs and preferences.

Illinois lawmakers and citizens are now examining the state’s top priorities and how limited tax dollars should be spent. The new poll shows broad and strong support for fairness and fiscal discipline when it comes to benefits for state-government workers.