Fletcher was scheduled to arrive at Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park at 8 p.m. EDT, his spokeswoman Jeannie Lausche said. The governor will have an approximately hour-long "informal" session with state employees at the pavilion there, Lausche said.

"We saw that there was going to be a big protest there and he's decided that this was the best way to communicate with them," Lausche said.

Last week, Fletcher announced that health insurance plans for teachers, public school employees and state workers would be changing next year. The new plan is expected to increase the cost of health insurance for thousands of workers covered by the state plan.

The Fletcher administration maintains the changes were needed to control what the state spends on health insurance for its workers.

Charles Wells, executive director of the Kentucky Association of State Employees, said the expected protest at the park in Gilbertsville showed the dissatisfaction state workers and teachers have with the changes to their health plans.

Wells predicted the meeting would do little to make state workers more accepting of the proposal.