A major fix for the State Health Plan is ready for a Senate vote.

The Senate Appropriations Committee today approved legislation that would cost the general fund $250 million for the current fiscal year ending June 30, and another $609 million for the next two fiscal years, Dan Kane reports.

The legislation also reduces benefits to the roughly 667,000 state employees, teachers and retirees on the health plan by raising co-payments and deductibles.

The committee rejected an amendment offered by state Sen. Doug Berger, a Franklin County Democrat, that would open up plan contracts to the public. He offered the amendment on behalf of the State Employees Association of North Carolina, a group that has questioned the need to cut benefits for employees.

State law keeps nearly all the details of contracts the plan has with vendors secret. Berger said the secrecy prevents the public from having information to make informed decisions about the plan's operations.

"I think now more than ever there needs to be an opening of this process so there is more information," Berger said.

More after the jump.

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