2018
insurance premiums set for government employees
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Office of Management and Enterprise Services has approved
premium rates for health, dental, life, disability and vision insurance plans
to be offered to state, education and many local government employees, retirees
and dependents for 2018.
The rates were recommended by the Oklahoma Employees
Insurance and Benefits Board and approved by OMES Director Preston L.
Doerflinger.
The rates presented at Thursday’s board meeting included increases
of roughly 3.5 to 8 percent for HealthChoice health plans. HealthChoice is the
state’s self-funded insurance plan administered by OMES.
HealthChoice High plans had an adjustment average of 4.05
percent, less than half of the 8.4 percent increase seen last year. The good
news for retirees is that premiums for HealthChoice Medicare Supplement plans will
remain the same as 2017.
“We’ve worked really hard to keep the HealthChoice rates as
low as they can be for public employees,” said OMES Employees Group Insurance
Division Administrator Frank Wilson. “Through various cost-containment
initiatives, we’ve been able to hold rate increases well below what we’re
seeing with other health plans around the country.”
HealthChoice Basic plans premiums will increase an average
of 7.7 percent in 2018, and HealthChoice HDHP plans premiums will increase an
average of 7.83 percent. The HealthChoice Dental plan will see an average
increase of 13.75 percent, but premiums for HealthChoice Life and HealthChoice
Disability plans will remain the same.
In addition to HealthChoice, three other health maintenance
organizations will remain as options: Aetna, CommunityCare and GlobalHealth.
For primary current employee members, Aetna will offer a monthly
premium of $675.62, an 18 percent increase over last year; CommunityCare will
offer a premium of $882.30, a 3.7 percent increase; and GlobalHealth will offer
a premium of $593.36, a 12 percent increase. There will also be four commercial
dental vendors offering 10 plans in addition to HealthChoice Dental. There will
be four vision carriers.
“We always look at how this impacts all members of a plan,” OEIBB
Chairman Jimmy Williams said. “It’s not just a number we come up with. We also
look at the impact it has on families. I assure you, this process is not taken
lightly at all.”
The approved rates for all health, dental, life,
disability and vision insurance plans will take effect Jan. 1, 2018, and can be
viewed at https://www.ok.gov/sib/2018_Option_Period.html.
Media Contact
MICHAEL BAKER
Director of Public Affairs
(405) 522-4265 | michael.baker@omes.ok.gov
 About the Office of Management and Enterprise Services
The Office of Management and Enterprise Services
provides financial, property, purchasing, human resources and
information technology services to all state agencies, and assists the
Governor’s Office on budgetary policy matters. Our mission: Supporting our partners through unified business services. For more information, visit OMES.OK.gov.
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