Bill Text: MI SB0241 | 2013-2014 | 97th Legislature | Introduced


Bill Title: Retirement; legislative; retirement health care benefits; limit to 80% of premium. Amends secs. 50b & 79 of 1957 PA 261 (MCL 38.1050b & 38.1079).

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-02-28 - Referred To Committee On Government Operations [SB0241 Detail]

Download: Michigan-2013-SB0241-Introduced.html

 

 

 

Text Box: SENATE BILL No. 241

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE BILL No. 241

 

 

February 28, 2013, Introduced by Senators CASWELL, JONES and WALKER and referred to the Committee on Government Operations.

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1957 PA 261, entitled

 

"Michigan legislative retirement system act,"

 

by amending sections 50b and 79 (MCL 38.1050b and 38.1079), section

 

50b as amended by 1998 PA 501 and section 79 as amended by 2011 PA

 

200.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 50b. (1) For a retirant or a survivor or beneficiary of a

 

deceased retirant, or for a deferred vested member if that deferred

 

vested member first became a member on or before January 1, 1995,

 

the retirement system shall purchase and, subject to subsection

 

(3), pay the premium for hospitalization and medical insurance

 

coverage and dental and vision coverage for the retirant, deferred

 

vested member, and the spouses, eligible children, and survivors of


 

those retirants and deferred vested members. Except as otherwise

 

provided in this section, the retirement system shall provide

 

hospitalization and medical insurance coverage and dental and

 

vision insurance coverage under this section at a level that is

 

equal to or greater than the level of insurance coverage under this

 

section in effect on December 1, 1992. The retirement board may

 

increase the amounts each person who is enrolled in insurance

 

coverage under this section is required to pay for co-pays or

 

deductibles under that insurance coverage.

 

     (2) On and after March 31, 1997, the retirement system shall

 

also pay health insurance premiums described in this section in the

 

manner prescribed in section 79.

 

     (3) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, beginning

 

January 1, 2014, the retirement system shall not pay more than 80%

 

of the premium for hospitalization and medical insurance coverage

 

and dental and vision coverage for a retirant, a deferred vested

 

member, a spouse of a retirant or deferred vested member, an

 

eligible child of a retirant or deferred vested member, and a

 

survivor of a retirant or deferred vested member. For an individual

 

described in this subsection who is eligible for medicare on

 

January 1, 2014, the retirement system shall not pay more than 90%

 

of the premium for hospitalization and medical insurance coverage

 

and dental and vision coverage for the individual.

 

     (4) As used in this section, "medicare" means benefits under

 

the federal medicare program established under title XVIII of the

 

social security act, 42 USC 1395 to 1395kkk-1.

 

     Sec. 79. (1) A former qualified participant may elect health


 

insurance benefits in the manner prescribed in this section if he

 

or she meets both of the following requirements:

 

     (a) The former qualified participant is vested in health

 

benefits under section 75(2).

 

     (b) The former qualified participant meets 1 of the following

 

requirements:

 

     (i) He or she meets or exceeds the benefit commencement age

 

employed in the actuarial present value calculation under section

 

62 and the service requirements that would have applied to that

 

former participant under Tier 1 for receiving health insurance

 

coverage under section 50b, if that former participant was a member

 

of Tier 1.

 

     (ii) He or she is 55 years of age or older.

 

     (2) A former qualified participant who is eligible to elect

 

health insurance coverage under subsection (1) may elect health

 

insurance coverage in a health benefit plan or plans as authorized

 

by section 50b. A former qualified participant who is eligible to

 

elect health insurance coverage under subsection (1) may also elect

 

health insurance coverage for his or her health benefit dependents,

 

if any. A surviving health benefit dependent of a deceased former

 

qualified participant who is eligible to elect health insurance

 

coverage under subsection (1) may elect health insurance coverage

 

to begin at the death of the deceased former qualified participant

 

in the manner prescribed in this section.

 

     (3) An individual who elects health insurance coverage under

 

this section shall become a member of a health insurance coverage

 

group authorized pursuant to section 50b.


 

     (4) For a former qualified participant who is eligible to

 

elect health insurance coverage under subsection (1) and who is

 

vested in those benefits under section 75(2)(a) or (c), and for his

 

or her health benefit dependents, this state shall pay a portion of

 

the health insurance premium as calculated under this subsection on

 

a cash disbursement method. An individual described in this

 

subsection who elects health insurance coverage under this section

 

shall pay to the retirement system the remaining portion of the

 

health insurance coverage premium not paid by this state under this

 

subsection. The portion of the health insurance coverage premium

 

paid by this state under this subsection shall be 90% of the

 

payments for health insurance coverage under section 50b. Except as

 

otherwise provided in this subsection, the retirement system shall

 

not pay more than 90% of the entire premium for health insurance

 

coverage described in section 50b for an individual described in

 

this subsection who elects health insurance coverage under this

 

section. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, beginning

 

January 1, 2014, the retirement system shall not pay more than 80%

 

of the entire premium for health insurance coverage described in

 

section 50b for an individual described in this subsection who

 

elects health insurance coverage under this section. For an

 

individual described in this subsection who elects health insurance

 

coverage under this section and who is eligible for medicare on

 

January 1, 2014, the retirement system shall not pay more than 90%

 

of the entire premium for health insurance coverage described in

 

section 50b for the individual. If the individual elects the health

 

insurance coverage provided under section 50b, this state shall


 

transfer its portion of the amount calculated under this subsection

 

to the health insurance fund created by section 22c.

 

     (5) For a former qualified participant who is eligible to

 

elect health insurance coverage under subsection (1) and who is

 

vested in those benefits under section 75(2)(b), and for his or her

 

health benefit dependents, this state shall pay a portion of the

 

health insurance premium as calculated under this subsection on a

 

cash disbursement method. An individual described in this

 

subsection who elects health insurance coverage under this section

 

shall pay to the retirement system the remaining portion of the

 

health insurance coverage premium not paid by this state under this

 

subsection. The portion of the health insurance coverage premium

 

paid by this state under this subsection shall be equal to the

 

premium amounts paid on behalf of retirants of Tier 1 for health

 

insurance coverage under section 50b. If the individual elects the

 

health insurance coverage provided under section 50b, the state

 

shall transfer its portion of the amount calculated under this

 

subsection to the health insurance fund created by section 22c.

 

     (6) If the department of technology, management, and budget

 

receives notification from the United States internal revenue

 

service that this section or any portion of this section will cause

 

the retirement system to be disqualified for tax purposes under the

 

internal revenue code, then the portion that will cause the

 

disqualification does not apply.

 

     (7) A former qualified participant who does not meet the

 

vesting requirements of section 75(2) is not eligible for health

 

insurance benefits under this act.


 

     (8) As used in this section, "medicare" means benefits under

 

the federal medicare program established under title XVIII of the

 

social security act, 42 USC 1395 to 1395kkk-1.

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