Insurance premiums for Georgia state employees, retirees, teachers and school personnel could increase by as much as 67% next year because the state has a $250 million shortfall in its health benefits program. If the state makes up the newly discovered shortfall only with premium increases, costs could rise by two-thirds for employees, teachers and state government retirees. That would mean an extra $100 to $200 or more per month for many of them. House leaders learned last week of new calculations showing a $250 million hole in the program, which was already slated to cost almost $3 billion, House Speaker David Ralston told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday.
