Beginning in January 2015, the UNC system will have to provide insurance coverage for the 8,600 employees who work 30 hours a week, but are not currently covered by the state insurance plan, said Marty Kotis, a member of the Board of Governors.
Those employees include graduate teaching assistants, student employees, postdoctoral employees, temporary or visiting faculty and library and administrative staff.
But the $47 million cost is a maximum amount calculated using the $5,452 price of insuring an employee, said Charlie Perusse, chief operating officer for the system. The actual cost will likely be much lower.
“There’s a lot we don’t know. Number one, the feds are still adjusting guidelines and parameters. We could have some sets or subsets of employees that would be exempted from coverage,” he said.
Kotis said the system’s General Administration has considered different options to combat the high cost, including shifting costs from other areas, seeking less expensive health coverage plans, cutting employee hours and increasing revenue to the system — which could include tuition increases.
Perusse said the campuses could manage employee costs more efficiently to reduce the total number of employees who need to be insured.
“Do you need someone always at 30 hours a week, or could they be a little less and still provide the same service?” he said.
But Kotis said cutting employee hours would come at a high cost to the community and the UNC system.
