SENATE DOCKET, NO. 229        FILED ON: 1/18/2011

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 522

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Michael O. Moore

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to provide immediate relief to small businesses on health care costs.

_______________

PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 229        FILED ON: 1/18/2011

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 522

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Eleven

_______________

An Act to provide immediate relief to small businesses on health care costs.

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. It shall be the policy of the general court to impose a moratorium on the enactment of any and all new mandated health benefit legislation until July 2, 2014.

SECTION 2.  Chapter 176Q of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding at the end of  Section 3 the following new paragraph:-

(u) to annually adjust the allowable amount of deductibles and co-insurance under minimum creditable coverage as the term is defined in 956 CMR 5.03(2)(b) by the amount of annual medical inflation as determined by the CMS Medicare Market Basket Price Index.

SECTION 3. Section 188 of Chapter 149 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2010 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding to paragraph (c) the following new subparagraph:-

(11) In calculating the fair share assessment, employees who have qualifying health insurance coverage from a spouse, a parent, a veteran’s plan, Medicare, Medicaid, or a plan or plans due to a disability or retirement shall not be included in the numerator or denominator for purposes of determining whether an employer is a Contributing Employer as defined in 114.5 CMR 16.00.

SECTION 4. Chapter 151A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2010 Official Edition, is hereby amended by repealing Section 14G.

SECTION 5.  The Division of Unemployment Assistance, in conjunction with the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority and the Division of Medical Assistance shall make recommendations to the legislature by June 30, 2011on how best to provide health insurance to unemployed residents of the Commonwealth who qualify for benefits under Chapter 151A of the general laws,  by expanding MassHealth programs or the Connector’s existing programs, provided that such programs will be paid for from the General Funds of the Commonwealth and not through a special assessment on employers and provided further such program shall maximize federal reimbursement to the extent possible.

SECTION 6.   Section 304 of Chapter 149 of the Acts of 2004, requiring the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to produce a list of employers who have 50 or more employees using public health assistance each year, is hereby repealed.