The agency in charge of managing health insurance for more than 200,000 government workers in West Virginia is facing pushback over proposed premium increases, five years after public school employees went on strike over rising health care costs.
The state Public Employees Insurance Agency is proposing a premium hike that would amount to a 35% increase in two years for state employees. In a series of public hearings this week, workers said they can’t afford the increases, despite recent tax cuts and raises for state employees.
During a virtual hearing Thursday, teacher Casey Lockerbie said that even with a raise, she’s making less than she did last year because of this year’s increases.
“The whole reason we went on strike a few years ago was to fund PEIA, and I just don’t think this is the solution for it,” said Lockerbie, who travels into West Virginia from a neighboring state to work. “You want to attract people to come to the state and work for you, but you’re penalizing the people that are coming into the state and working.”
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With the health insurance agency facing a $376 million deficit earlier this year, the GOP supermajority state Legislature passed a wide-ranging bill increasing state employee health insurance premiums by around 25% in July. There’s also a new surcharge of around $150 for spouses who forgo their employer’s insurance to opt into the state plan.
The law made it mandatory for the Public Employees Insurance Agency to enact an 80-20 cost split between the employer and employees.
Under the proposed plan, state employees’ premiums would increase an additional 10.5% next July. The agency’s finance board is expected to take a final vote in December, after listening to feedback this month at public hearings across the state.
The second year of proposed increases comes after Republican Gov. Jim Justice promised in 2021 that premiums would not go up on his watch.
In 2018, West Virginia school employees went on strike for the first time in two years in large part over concerns about the Public Employees Insurance Agency’s long-term solvency. Gov. Justice created a task force to study the issue as part of his agreement with labor unions. But it never resulted in any significant policy changes to stabilize the budget.
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Justice says the increases are offset by raises — a $2,300 increase for state employees this year — and is proposing another 5% increase next year to offset the cost. He also signed a law this year cutting the state income tax by an average of 21.25% across brackets.
Opponents of the increase argue raises don’t go far enough. West Virginia teachers are among the lowest-paid in the nation.
During a hearing in Charleston earlier this week, school service personnel union leader Joe White said he knows members of the agency finance board have their hands tied because of the legislation passed earlier this year.
But White asked the board to remember that the people incurring the cost are “human, they’re families.”
“Organized labor, labor organizations, school employees – we’re not the devil, folks,” he said. “They’re employees that’s out there working for the state of West Virginia who should be treated with respect.”
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Retired employees not yet eligible for Medicare and city and county employees insured by the agency would also see increases.
For just a half second, things were starting to look a little hairy for the West Virginia Mountaineers and their chances of reaching a bowl game. Over the weekend, they took care of the visiting UCF Knights to collect that key sixth win of the season, punching their ticket to a bowl game.
Now the question is, where will the Mountaineers land?
With just one game remaining in the regular season, WVU can’t really increase its bowl stock all that much. Right now, it’s more about not falling further down the totem pole.
While it is extremely unlikely, there is still a “path” for the Mountaineers to the College Football Playoff, believe it or not. And no, it doesn’t have anything to do with having five quality losses. That’s sarcasm, by the way. WVU can still make the Big 12 title game but needs several unlikely upsets to happen in the final week of the regular season. If the unthinkable happens and WVU gets to Arlington and wins the Big 12 title, boom. The Mountaineers are in the CFP at 8-5.
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On the more realistic side of things, West Virginia will likely end up at either the Independence Bowl, Liberty Bowl, Armed Forces Bowl, or First Responder Bowl. For a team that had legit aspirations of making the College Football Playoff at the start of the year, landing at one of the aforementioned destinations is quite the disappointment, with all due respect to those bowls.
Nonetheless, the Mountaineers still have an opportunity to finish the year with a 6-3 mark in Big 12 play for the second straight year with a win over Texas Tech on Saturday.
Action Network: Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl vs. Army
Athlon Sports: Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl vs. Tulane
CBS Sports: Gasparilla Bowl vs. Florida
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College Football Network: SERVPRO First Responder Bowl vs. East Carolina
College Football News: AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs. Arkansas
ESPN (Kyle Bonagura): Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl vs. Navy
ESPN (Mark Schlabach): Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl vs. Oklahoma
Sporting News: Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl vs. Arkansas
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USA Today: SERVPRO First Responder Bowl vs. Oklahoma
West Virginia On SI: AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs. Vanderbilt
1. Valero Alamo Bowl vs Pac-12, Saturday, Dec. 28, 7:30 p.m. EST, ABC
2. Pop-Tarts Bowl vs ACC/ND, Saturday, Dec. 28, 3:30 p.m. EST, ABC
3. TaxAct Texas Bowl vs SEC, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. EST, ESPN
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4. AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs SEC, Friday, Dec. 27, 7:00 p.m. EST, ESPN
5. Guaranteed Rate Bowl vs Big Ten, Thursday, Dec. 26, 5:30 p.m. EST, ESPN
6. Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl vs. Pac 12, Saturday, Dec. 28, 9:15 p.m. EST, ESPN
MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI
Dante Stills Sacks Geno Smith in Pivotal Divisional Game
Big 12 Power Rankings – Week 14
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Between The Eers: The Morning After UCF
Kickoff Time, TV Network Announced for West Virginia vs. Texas Tech
Michigan State football appears to be closing in on their newest commitment in the 2025 recruiting class, looking to flip a prospect committed to another power conference school.
Terrance ‘Deuce’ Edwards is a defensive back prospect committed to West Virginia. A high 3-star prospect, Edwards is the cousin of former MSU wide receiver Felton Davis. He is from Richmond, Virginia.
After an official visit to see the Spartans defeat Purdue on Friday night, the Spartans seem to be in pole position to flip the West Virginia commit, receiving crystal ball predictions from the 247Sports staff.
At 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, Edwards is someone that can play both outside cornerback and in the nickel position.
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Be on the lookout for movement in this recruitment in the coming days.
Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner
Former West Virginia University defensive standouts, Arizona defensive lineman Dante Stills and linebacker Kyzir White, are looking to slow down West Virginia’s all-time passing leader Geno Smith and the Seattle offense Sunday afternoon in a critical divisional game in the NFC West. It’s the first meeting between the two divisional rivals this season.
On the Seahawks’ first possession of the game, Geno Smith delivered a dart to DK Metcalf for 29 yards on third and seven. Then, on third and four and just inside Arizona territory at the 47-yard line, Smith was sacked by Dante Stills, forcing the Seahawks to punt.
With the sack, Stills has 4.5 sacks on the season. In addition, he currently has 30 tackles, and four tackles for a loss this season.
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Arizona sits atop the NFC West at 6-4 but a Seattle win and a Los Angeles Rams loss against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday night places the Seahawks in first place.
MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI
Big 12 Power Rankings – Week 14
Between The Eers: The Morning After UCF
Kickoff Time, TV Network Announced for West Virginia vs. Texas Tech
Sunday Morning Thoughts: Is Neal Brown Returning in 2025?
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