By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
EAST LANSING, MI – State House Speaker Andy Dillon is expected to propose a statewide insurance pool Wednesday. The plan would eliminate independent insurance providers for state workers, such as MESSA, the provider for Michigan teachers.
State Superintendent Michael Flanagan supports a statewide insurance plan. He says it would save Michigan a lot of money.
"There's really no reason to have all these separate plans - and that isn't an anti-MESSA statement," he says. Maybe MESSA wins the bid for the statewide contract - that would be fine. But we ought to get the best deal we can and they ought to be quantified at the state level at what's the appropriate level of benefits."
Dillon says his plan would save the state hundreds of millions of dollars.