On the spending side, the committee’s most concrete proposal for cutting costs is requiring state employees to pay more for their health insurance, which the report estimates would save the state $500 million annually. For example, the state could offer plans where workers pay no premiums but have higher out-of-pocket costs like deductibles and copays, or they could pay higher premiums to keep their current plans. This was a matter of serious contention between former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in his long contract dispute with unions.