Budget Amendment ID: FY2012-S3-77
LOC 77
Municipal Health Care Reform I
Mr. Tolman moved that the proposed new text be amended in Section 51 by striking out sub-section (d) of section 23 in its entirety and replace it with the following new text:-
"(d) An appropriate public authority, which has elected to transfer its subscribers under this section to the commission, shall notify the commission of such transfer. The notice shall be provided to the commission by the appropriate public authority on or before December 1 of each year and the transfer of subscribers to the commission shall take effect on the following July 1. On the effective date of the transfer, the health insurance of all subscribers, including elderly governmental retirees previously governed by section 10B of chapter 32A and retired municipal teachers previously governed by section 12 of chapter 32A, shall be provided through the commission for all purposes and governed under this section. As of the effective date and for the duration of this transfer, subscribers transferred to the commission's health insurance coverage shall receive group health insurance benefits determined exclusively by the commission and the coverage shall not be subject to collective bargaining, except for contribution ratios.
Subscribers transferred to the commission who are eligible or become eligible for Medicare coverage shall transfer to Medicare coverage, as prescribed by the commission. In the event of transfer to Medicare, the political subdivision shall pay any Medicare part B premium penalty assessed by the federal government on retirees, spouses and dependents as a result of enrollment in Medicare part B at the time of transfer into the Medicare health benefits supplement plan. For each subscriber's premium and the political subdivision's share of that premium, the subscriber and the appropriate public authority shall furnish to the commission, in such form and content as the commission shall prescribe, all information the commission deems necessary to maintain subscribers' and covered dependents' health insurance coverage. The appropriate public authority of the political subdivision shall perform such administrative functions and process such information as the commission deems necessary to maintain those subscribers' health insurance coverage including, but not limited to, family and personnel status changes, and shall report all changes monthly to the commission. In the event that a political subdivision transfers subscribers to the commission under this section, subscribers may be withdrawn from commission coverage at 3 or 6 year intervals from the date of transfer of subscribers to the commission, subject to terms governing the withdrawal interval and withdrawal procedures in a written agreement between the appropriate public authority and the collective bargaining units pursuant to this chapter and chapter 150E.
The appropriate public authority shall decide and provide notice to the commission of any withdrawal by October 1 of the year prior to the effective date of withdrawal. All withdrawals shall be effective on July 1 following the political subdivision's notice to the commission. Except as otherwise provided in a written agreement between the appropriate public authority and the public employee committee, withdrawal from commission coverage shall revoke acceptance of this section and any written agreements related to the implementation of this section as of the effective date of withdrawal.
The political subdivision shall abide by all commission requirements for effectuating such withdrawal, including the notice requirements in this subsection. In the event a political subdivision withdraws from commission coverage under this section, such withdrawal shall be binding on all subscribers, including those subscribers who, prior to the transfer to the commission, received coverage from the commission under sections 10B and 12 of chapter 32A and, after withdrawal from the commission, those subscribers who received coverage from the commission under said sections 10B and 12 of said chapter 32A shall not pay more than 25 per cent of the cost of their health insurance premiums. In the event of withdrawal from the commission, the political subdivision and public employee unions shall return to governance of negotiations of health insurance under chapter 150E and this chapter,"