RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina lawmakers went home for the weekend Thursday without an agreement on premiums for the health insurance plan for state workers, teachers and retirees, surpassing a deadline set by plan leaders.

The Senate adjourned without taking up any compromise on a two-year package for the State Health Plan. A new bill is necessary after Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue vetoed a proposal last week that would have required all active workers to pay a monthly premium for their own insurance for the first time.

The House approved a measure Wednesday to retain an insurance option for active workers that avoided monthly premiums, but Senate Republicans balked at the idea because it would have cost more — a House staffer put the amount at $16 million in state funding over two years. The original plan was designed to close a $515 million projected shortfall between revenues and expenses through mid-2013.