MacIver News Service – [Madison, Wisc...] Providing health insurance benefits to the domestic partners of state employees will cost more than $7 million dollars this year.
On Tuesday, the Department of Employee Trust Funds reported 700 employees have switched from single to family coverage to take advantage of the extended benefits. That will cost the state $7.4 million dollars this year. $3.1 million of that will come from general purpose tax revenues and $4.3 million will come from program revenues and segregated funds. Even though the benefits are currently coming in under projections, some state lawmakers are disappointed the state chose to offer additional benefits while facing a $6.6 billion deficit at the time the budget bill was drafted.
For Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) a $7.4 million price tag is no cause for celebration. “Both numbers struck me as high,” said Grothman. “Both the 700 people and the $7.4 million.” Grothman pointed out that with 70,000 state employees, 700 people taking advantage of the new benefits amounts to a full one percent of the workforce.
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