On Oct. 26, the State Health Benefits Plan (SHBP) Plan Design Committee (PDC) held its regularly scheduled meeting. Agenda items included a review of 2023 Dental CDT codes and the bi-annual Optum Rx formulary review.
Committee members representing organized labor asked management what relief was being offered for local governments that are going to see a 2023 health benefits rate increase of more than 22% effective January 1, 2023. Management suggested that a special enrollment period may be possible and promised to provide updated information to the PDC this week.
Earlier in the week, most of the public sector unions launched a campaign for public sector employees to take action against the proposed SHBP cost increases. AffordableNJ.org includes information on regularly scheduled Thursday rallies, how to contact your legislators, and an explainer on what the union representatives of the PDC have proposed to achieve long-term health care premium savings.
We suggest that in addition to reaching out to the Administration and your legislative representatives for relief to the 22% increase on local employer SHBP, municipalities remind their public employees also impacted by the increase that open enrollment ends on Monday, October 31.
Contacts:
- Lori Buckelew, Deputy Executive Director & Director of Government Affairs, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x112.
- Paul Penna, Senior Legislative Analyst, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.