The Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) board held two meetings in August that are pertinent for educators. Both meetings presented good news regarding the State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) as well as the DCH budget.

State Health Benefit Plan

DCH reviewed the 2023 SHBP plan designs and rates at its first meeting. These will remain the same for the next year. There will be no changes to co-pays, co-insurance, or deductibles for either Medicare Advantage or commercial plans. CVS will remain the pharmacy benefits manager for commercial plans, and Sharecare will remain the wellness administrator for the commercial options.

Open enrollment begins Oct. 17 and ends Nov. 4. During the open enrollment period, DCH/SHBP employees will hold benefit fairs throughout the state, as well as a series of virtual meetings.

Budget

The DCH board addressed its budget at its second August meeting. In this meeting, the board amended its current fiscal year budget (FY 23) and passed its initial FY 24 budget request.

For FY 23, the total budget is $18.2 billion, of which $4.3 billion are state funds. For AFY 23, DCH anticipates a savings of $83 million, due to the expected ending of the public health emergency. For FY 24, DCH is requesting $413 million additional dollars in state funds.

The board approved these budgetary items. They will now be sent to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budgeting for submission to the legislature in January.