MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota state employees get 94 percent of their health care costs covered by insurance, according to a new report released Tuesday by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

That’s higher than the national average for state workers of 92 percent. It’s richer than the average plans offered for sale under the federal health care law, roughly equivalent to platinum plans sold on the state’s health insurance exchange, MNsure. And it’s better than the plans most private employers provide, which are generally in the 80 percent range.

But Jim Monroe, retired executive director of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, said state workers have chosen repeatedly over the years to forgo higher wages in favor of higher health care benefits. He said their wages have grown slower than pay in the private sector as a result.

“We were paying for the benefits,” said Monroe, who served as a union consultant for health issues during last year’s contract talks.

The average total premium per Minnesota state employee was $1,063 last year, or $100 above the national average.