Urbana's mayor rejects health insurance premium hike

URBANA, Ill. (AP) - Urbana's mayor suggests state law should prohibit hospitals and health facilities from owning insurance plans after the city was hit with a 9 percent premium increase from its insurer.

Laurel Prussing says Champaign-Urbana is in a monopoly controlled health market and will lobby state lawmakers for a change.

The (Champaign) News-Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/2a4wQhA ) that Carle Health System quoted a premium increase for city health insurance in 2017 of 9 percent. She says the city is not alone - everyone pays more.

The city budgeted $2 million for health coverage of 250 employees. It does not have money to pay an increase of $183,000.

A spokesman for the insurer says Urbana's increase is below average and that the city paid the same this year as in 2015.

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Information from: The News-Gazette, http://www.news-gazette.com