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For immediate release Sept. 15, 2006 Contact: Lisa R.Collins 859-244-8179 National Association of State Personnel Executives Releases State Government Employee Healthcare Benefits White Paper
Lexington, Ky. September 2006 – The National Association of State Personnel Executives Healthcare Task Force recently released its first white paper, State Government Employee Healthcare Benefits.
No matter how you view health care, it cannot be overlooked as a huge overall expense for state governments as well as all large employers. Starbucks spends more on employee health care than it does coffee beans. In state governments, an additional 9 to 16 percent of total payroll goes toward providing health care for employees. The Central States Compensation Association reports that with an average salary of $19.16 per hour for its member state work forces, an additional average of $2.16—or 11 percent—is spent on health care. From a total compensation standpoint, health care trails only cash (salary, wages) as state governments largest cost factor in most states and is the most administratively complex. Health care benefits, the overall cost, how costs are shared between the state and its employees, coverage, and program design are challenges each state faces. Recognizing these challenges, the National Association of State Personnel Executives formed a Health Care Task Force in 2005 to assist members and state governments who are wrestling with managing health care issues and to address some of the unique challenges state human resource managers face in the health care arena. The task force’s white paper was designed to build a foundation to spark more dialogue on the challenges and strategies in state HR management.
The complete white paper can be downloaded via the publications page on the NASPE web site at www.naspe.net. NASPE will continue to collect current and best practices in state government benefits administration, including an addendum about what is going on in the states. You may also contact NASPE at (859) 244-8182 or at lscott@csg.org for more information.
About NASPE NASPE was established in 1976 to enhance communication and the exchange of information among state personnel executives. NASPE’s mission is to provide a national leadership forum to advance state government human resources through the exchange of best practices, strategies and solutions. The association strives to be recognized as the authority on state government human resource issues. |
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