Workers at the commercial nuclear power plant north of Richland will see their health benefits cut to help pay for cheaper electricity in the Pacific Northwest.

"To make our power cheaper, our employees are being asked to participate more in reducing the costs of health care," said Jerry Kucera, chief financial officer for the Washington Public Power Supply System.

This year, WPPSS executives hope to spend $9.2 million on health care for its 1,200 employees.

And WPPSS emphasizes "hope." Executives really don't know what the final bill will be.

WPPSS is self-insured for about 80 percent of its workers.

That means the utility essentially pays all medical bills for each employee, after a deductible of $250.

If a lot of workers are seriously ill or injured, the total medical tab for WPPSS goes up.

Managers find themselves making budget estimates based on fate.

"What we're really trying to do is predict our costs," Kucera said. "Under the current system, we can't do that."

WPPSS also wants to cut costs. It's another step in the drive to make power from the nuclear plant cheaper in the newly deregulated electricity market.

The WPPSS plant sells all its electricity to Northwest ratepayers through the Bonneville Power Administration. If WPPSS electricity is too costly, the plant will close -throwing everyone out of work.

This year, WPPSS executives plan to spend $175 million to run the plant. About 5 percent of that will go to health insurance. By comparison, two years ago, the

WPPSS budget was $232 million. At that time, WPPSS power cost 3.6 cents a kilowatt-hour. Today, it costs 2.3 cents.

Much of that savings came through the pain of those laid off. Two years ago, WPPSS had 1,900 employees, 700 more than today.

Under the new health insurance system, workers still on the job will face a sacrifice, albeit smaller.

"It's a very emotional issue, because the supply system has always been here to look out for employees. That all will change," said Jim Engbarth, an internal auditor for the WPPSS Executive Board.

WPPSS will organize a committee next month to come up with recommendations that virtually no one will like, Engbarth said. The new health insurance system will go into effect in 1998.

Union and nonunion employees will be asked to work on the committee. Any changes in union benefits will be left to contract negotiations, Engbarth said.

It's still too early to even guess what will emerge, Kucera said. The WPPSS insurance contribution may even remain the same as this year - but workers will be asked to pick up any increased costs.

While WPPSS self-insures about 80 percent of its workers, about 20 percent have chosen to be insured through Group Health Northwest. Insuring employees through either plan costs about the same, Kucera said.

The entire current program may be thrown out, replaced with an insurance "cafeteria," Kucera said.

Employees will be allowed a certain amount of money with which to buy from a smorgasbord of insurance plans.

Some may choose expensive plans with low deductibles. Some may choose high deductibles.

Any money left over from the WPPSS insurance contribution to individuals would be shared, perhaps through payments to 401(k) retirement plans, Kucera said.

How much money each employee will be given to shop in the "cafeteria" hasn't been determined.

Kucera said the current contribution of about $7,600 for each worker is about standard for the commercial nuclear industry and Hanford.

Trying to find an overall average of company insurance payments has been impossible, even for the Association of Washington Business, said Trent House, a spokesman for the group.

"The state doesn't even have a solid number. It's tough to determine. Every business has a different benefit plan," House said.

But the WPPSS current benefit system seems about the same as that of a leader in the Northwest electrical industry.

Pacific Power, the big utility based in Portland but with a system that stretches across much of the West, pays 45 percent to 53 percent above wages for total benefits, including vacation, pensions, insurance and Social Security, said Mike O'Bryant, a spokesman for the company.

When all those benefits are added together, WPPSS pays about the same percentage, Kucera said.