SENATE DOCKET, NO. 377        FILED ON: 1/16/2017

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1418

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Anne M. Gobi

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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 relative to the provision of group health insurance benefits in the town of Athol.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 377        FILED ON: 1/16/2017

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1418

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 1967 OF 2015-2016.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

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An Act relative to the provision of group health insurance benefits in the town of Athol.

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.  (a) Notwithstanding chapter 32B of the General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary, the town of Athol may provide the following subsidiary or additional contribution rates to the groups or classes of employees identified below that are eligible under said chapter 32B to participate in the town’s contributory group health insurance plans:

Employees hired prior to July 1, 20

Plan TypeTown Contribution      Employee Contribution

HMO plan78 %       22 %

PPO plan75 %      25 %

Employees hired on or after July 1, 2015:

Plan TypeTown Contribution      Employee Contribution

HMO plan70 %       30 %

PPO plan65 %      35 %

(b) If an employee becomes separated from service with the town for any reason other than an involuntary layoff and subsequently returns to employment with the town, the employee’s most recent date of hire shall be used to determine the applicable contribution rate under this section.  If the returning employee’s separation was the result of an involuntary layoff, the employee shall contribute at the same rate that the employee was contributing at when the layoff was imposed.

SECTION 2. (a)  Notwithstanding chapter 32B of the General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary, the town of Athol may provide subsidiary or additional contribution rates to groups or classes of retirees who are eligible under said chapter 32B to participate in the town’s contributory group health insurance plans.  The percentage amount to be contributed by an individual who retired prior to July 1, 2015 shall be 22 per cent for an HMO type plan and 25 per cent for a PPO type plan.  The percentage amount to be contributed by an individual who retires on or after July 1, 2015 shall be the same percentage that the retiree was contributing toward that same plan as an active employee immediately prior to the employee’s retirement.  If the retiree elects to enroll in a plan that is different from the plan in which the retiree was enrolled as an active employee immediately prior to the employee’s retirement, the percentage amount to be contributed by the retiree shall be equal to the percentage that the retiree would have contributed at if the retiree been enrolled in the plan as an active employee.

(b)   A retiree, spouse or dependent insured or eligible to be insured under said chapter 32B who is required by section 18A of said chapter 32B to transfer to a Medicare health plan offered by the town under section 11C or section 16 of said chapter 32B shall contribute to the premiums of the Medicare health plan at 25 per cent and the town shall contribute the remaining 75 per cent.

SECTION 3.  Nothing in this act shall preclude the town of Athol from making changes to the employee or retiree groups and contribution rates identified in sections 1 and 2.

SECTION 4.  This act shall take effect as of July 1, 2015.