COLUMBIA, S.C. - State workers face higher health insurance premiums under a plan the state Budget and Control Board approved Tuesday, but they won't see increasing annual deductibles and prescription drug co-payments proposed last week.

The board is trying to put the plan back in balance. It expects worker health insurance will cost $132.7 million more next year than this year. The state is putting $40.9 million more into the plan. Benefits changes and higher premiums make up the difference.

A proposed plan tied $13.7 million in savings to raising annual deductibles to $450 from $350. That proposal also called for a $2 increase for each prescription to save $12.2 million.

But board member and House Ways and Means Chairman Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, said state employees have said they would prefer to spare benefits and increase premiums.

With the plan approved Tuesday, the current annual deductible and drug co-payment will remain the same. But the new plan would double the out-of-network annual coinsurance maximum to $4,000. It also will eliminate coverage of gastric bypass surgery and change the mail service pharmacy copayment multiplier from 2.25 times the retail copayment to 2.5 times.

Average premiums would rise $34.55 a month for workers.

For a single employee, the rate will increase $23.96 a month to $93.46; for an employee and spouse, the rate will increase $47.92 to $237.50; for an employee and children, the rate will increase $35.94 to $142.46; and for a full family, the rate will increase $59.99 to $294.67.

While not ideal, the plan is a good compromise, Joe Benton, vice president of the South Carolina State Employees Association, said.

For employees who make less than $30,000 a year "this is going to impact them greatly. However, I think the erosion of benefits over a period of time will probably affect them even greater," Benton said.

The board also agreed to create a new, high-deductible health insurance plan, which Harrell has said can help save money for people in good health who don't regularly visit doctors.

That plan would have a deductible of $3,000 for individuals and $6,000 for a family and cover 80 percent of the cost for care by in-network doctors and hospitals.

Workers would be able to save up $2,600 for an individual and up to $5,150 for families through the health savings account. The coverage costs $9.28 monthly for single workers and $108.56 for families. The plan covers an annual physical exam and flu shot with no deductible.

Board members also agreed to include infertility drugs in the plan.