Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Appropriates $2.5 million to DOBI to reimburse joint insurance funds for COVID-19 surveillance testing.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning joint insurance funds and COVID-19 surveillance testing and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Banking and Insurance the sum of $2.5 million for use by the department to reimburse joint insurance funds, providing contributory or non-contributory group health insurance, for the cost of providing coverage to covered workers for COVID-19 surveillance testing from August 6, 2021 to August 15, 2022.
b. The department, in consultation with the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs, shall develop a form for joint insurance funds to submit requests for reimbursement pursuant to subsection a. of this section. The department, in consultation with the division, shall review incoming requests for reimbursement from joint insurance funds pursuant to this subsection.
c. The department shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to effectuate the purposes of this act.
d. As used in this section:
"Covered worker" means the same as defined in Executive Order No. 252, signed by Governor Phil Murphy on August 6, 2021, and shall include the term "covered worker" as defined in Executive Order No. 253, signed by the Governor on August 23, 2021.
"COVID-19" means the coronavirus disease 2019, as announced by the World Health Organization on February 11, 2020, and as first identified in Wuhan, China.
"Department" means the Department of Banking and Insurance.
"Division" means the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs.
"Joint insurance fund" means the same as established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1983, c.372 (C.40A:10-36) and includes an "insurance fund" as established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1979, c.230 (C.40A:10-6).
"Surveillance testing" means an employer's weekly screening of covered workers, unvaccinated against COVID-19 and without symptoms or known exposure to the disease, with the intent to identify workers infected with COVID-19 before they develop symptoms, or who are asymptomatic, and prevent infected workers from exposing non-infected workers to the disease. "Surveillance testing" shall not include items or services required to be covered pursuant to 42 U.S.C. s.1320b-5.
2. This act shall take effect on the 90th day next following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill appropriates $2.5 million to DOBI to reimburse joint insurance funds for COVID-19 surveillance testing.
Under the bill, $2.5 million will be appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) for use by the department to reimburse joint insurance funds, providing contributory or non-contributory group health insurance, for the cost of providing coverage to covered workers for COVID-19 surveillance testing from August 6, 2021 to August 15, 2022. Beginning with Executive Order No. 252, signed by Governor Phil Murphy on August 6, 2021, and ending with Executive Order No. 302, signed by the Governor on August 15, 2022, certain employers in the health care industry and in high risk congregate settings were required to maintain a policy that instructed their covered workers to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or submit to surveillance testing. Per federal guidelines, joint insurance funds were not required to provide coverage for surveillance tests; however, despite federal guidance, certain joint insurance funds decided to provide coverage to covered workers. This bill aims to reimburse the joint insurance funds that covered surveillance tests during this time period.