Instead of imposing higher co-pays and rolling back health insurance coverage for state employees, Connecticut officials want their workers to get a colonoscopy to help cut costs.

Union leaders and members of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's administration voiced optimism that state employees will eventually ratify a labor savings deal, now that the details have been released.

v. Dannel P. Malloy on Thursday gave his negotiators and union leaders more time to discuss $2 billion in labor savings, putting off — for now — issuing the threatened first round of layoff notices to about 4,000 Connecticut workers a day before they were to go out.