HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1480 FILED ON: 1/13/2009
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1055
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the Year Two Thousand Nine
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An Act Relative to Group Purchasing of Health Insurance for Private Sector Human Service Workers..
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION 1. M.G.L. c. 32A, Section 2b, is amended effective January 1, 2006, by inserting after “United States” in line 2 the following: “and a person who is an employee of a vendor which provides human services and which is under contract with any agency within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.”
SECTION 2. M.G.L. c. 32A, Section 2c, is amended effective January 1, 2006, by inserting after “Massachusetts” in line 1 the following: “or employer of any employee, as defined in Subsection (b).”
SECTION 3. M.G.L. 32A is amended effective January 1, 2006, by adding “Section 10F Insurance for employees of human service vendor employers. The commission shall negotiate with and purchase on such terms as it deems to be in the best interest of the Commonwealth, the vendor employers covered under this section chapter, and the affected employees and their dependents, from one or more insurance companies or non-profit hospital, medical, or other service corporations, a policy or policies of group general or blanket insurance providing hospital, surgical, medical, and other health insurance benefits for said agency employees and their dependents. Such policy or policies shall consist of a schedule of hospital, surgical, medical, dental, and other health insurance benefits purchased by the Commonwealth under the provisions of section four, or the schedule of hospital, surgical, medical, dental, and other health insurance benefits purchased by counties, cities, towns, and districts under the provisions of section three chapter thirty-two B.
With respect to any period of insurance which is in effect for the vendor employees and their dependents, the full cost of the insurance shall be borne by the vendor employer and the participating employee. The Commonwealth will not be responsible for contributing to the cost of this insurance.
The employee’s per cent share of the premium shall be withheld by the appropriate employer from the employee’s salary on a periodic basis, and shall be forwarded to the Group Insurance Commission, heretofore referred to as The Commission, in accordance with its rules and regulations.
The Commission shall determine at least annually, or sooner, the amount of premiums for each health plan which shall be reimbursed to the Commonwealth by each contracting agency having employees insured under this section. The Commission shall also determine, at least annually, the portion of the commission’s expense of administering this hospital, surgical, medical, and other health insurance coverage for the employees of vendor employer for this coverage. After such determinations, the commission shall assess each agency an administrative charge equal to their pro rata share of the cost of administering the program.
Any dividend or refund accepted by the commission from any insurance carrier as a result of the contract negotiated under this section shall be deposited by the commission with the state treasurer as provided in section nine. The commission shall determine the amount of dividend or refund apportionable to the various vendor employers having employees insured hereunder, and shall reduce the administrative expenses in section (c) attributable to each such vendor employer by the amount of refund attributable thereto.
Each employee of a vendor employer to whom this chapter applies shall furnish the commission, in such form as it shall prescribe, such information as is necessary to insure himself or himself and his dependents under the hospital, surgical, medical, and other health insurance herein provided, and shall authorize the withholding of the appropriate premium from his salary by the appropriate vendor employer.
Participation in the health insurance program described in this section is voluntary for vendors which contract to provide human service with the following departments of the Commonwealth: the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the Department of Mental Health , the Department of Mental Retardation, the Department of Social Services, the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Department of Youth Services, the Disabled Persons Protection Commission, the Division of Employment & Training, the Division of Medical Assistance, the Executive Office for Elder Affairs, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission and the Office of Child Care Services. This section does not apply to individuals or families which contract directly with the Department of Social Services or the Office of Child Care Services to provide foster care or in-home family daycare. This section also does not apply to individuals who enter into contracts with said departments of the Commonwealth as consultants or independent contractors.”
SECTION 4. The commission shall develop a report setting forth plan designs for plans established pursuant to chapter 32A, section 10F and appropriate administrative mechanisms for said plans, with the costs associated with both the benefits provided under said plans and administration, and shall file the report with the house and senate committees on ways and means no later than July 1, 2005.