TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — More than a third of New Jersey counties and towns are wasting millions of dollars on health insurance brokers and premiums when switching to the state's plan would be cheaper, a new audit has found.

The report from the state Comptroller released Tuesday found the 14 counties and 217 municipalities not in the State Health Benefits Plan rely on pricy brokers or haven't fully evaluated the costs and benefits of the state plan.

The report looked at four government units outside the state plan — Essex County and the townships of Brick, East Brunswick and Haddon — and found that they could have saved about $1,000 per employee per year, about $12.5 million collectively over two years, if employees were insured through the state plan. If all local governments made the switch from private carriers to the state plan, more than $100 million could be saved on taxpayers' behalf, the audit estimated.