This proposal would permit employees an additional choice of health insurance coverage available at their expense.
If offered, health insurance coverage would be available to some adults and children who might otherwise be uninsured.
Offering such benefits will bring state agencies and higher education institutions in-line with prevailing benefits practices of employers of choice in Virginia and across the nation, and enhance recruiting and retention of the best and the brightest. The majority of top private employers in Virginia offer such benefits, for example, as do the majority of Fortune 500 companies.
There will be no cost to the taxpayer, since other qualified individuals enrolled via this amendment will pay 100% of the cost for the insurance. This would be in contrast to current state benefits that pay over 80% of the cost of premiums for employees, spouses and covered dependents.