Bill Text: NY S08118 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to changes in health insurance contracts or plans for retired officers, employees, and their families.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Vetoed) 2018-12-28 - VETOED MEMO.367 [S08118 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S08118-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          8118
                    IN SENATE
                                     March 29, 2018
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen. TEDISCO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government
        AN ACT to amend the general municipal  law,  in  relation  to  providing
          notice  of health insurance contracts for retired officers, employees,
          and their families
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 92-a of the general municipal law,
     2  as  amended by chapter 805 of the laws of 1984 and as further amended by
     3  section 104 of part A of chapter 62 of the laws of 2011, is amended  and
     4  a new subdivision 2-a is added to read as follows:
     5    2.  [A]  Consistent  with  the provisions of subdivision two-a of this
     6  section, a public corporation may contract with a non-profit  membership
     7  corporation,  organized  under  article forty-three of the insurance law
     8  and approved by the superintendent of financial services and  the  state
     9  board  of social welfare, or with any insurance company authorized to do
    10  business in this state for the purpose of furnishing medical and  surgi-
    11  cal  services  and  hospital  service  as defined in such article forty-
    12  three, or medical and surgical and hospital  insurance  to  persons  who
    13  contract with such non-profit membership corporation or insurance compa-
    14  ny,  or  who  subscribe to a plan or plans, as hereinafter provided. Any
    15  such contract entered into by a  public  corporation  shall  permit  any
    16  officer  or  employee  or group of officers or employees of an agency or
    17  department of the public corporation voluntarily to subscribe to a  plan
    18  or  plans providing for medical and surgical and hospital insurance for,
    19  or medical and surgical services and hospital service to, such  officers
    20  or  employees  and  their  families. Any such contract entered into by a
    21  public corporation may, if authorized by the governing board or body and
    22  subject to such conditions, limitations and eligibility requirements  as
    23  may  be  fixed  by  such  board or body, permit any retired officers and
    24  employees or group of retired officers and employees  of  an  agency  or
    25  department  of the public corporation voluntarily to subscribe to such a
    26  plan or plans to provide such insurance for or service to themselves and
    27  their families. The comptroller  or  other  disbursing  officer  of  the
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05751-04-8
        S. 8118                             2
     1  public corporation, or of any fund out of which officers or employees of
     2  such public corporation are paid, is authorized to deduct from the wages
     3  or  salary  of such contracting or subscribing officer or employee, with
     4  his  prior  consent,  in  writing,  the sums required to be paid by such
     5  officer or employee to such non-profit membership corporation or  insur-
     6  ance company. Such public corporation, if such contract or plan provides
     7  that  the  employer shall contribute a share of the cost of such medical
     8  and surgical services and hospital service, or medical and surgical  and
     9  hospital  insurance,  for its officers and employees or retired officers
    10  and employees, is authorized to appropriate a sum required  to  be  paid
    11  under such contract by the public corporation as employer. The sum to be
    12  paid  by it under such contract, in the discretion of such public corpo-
    13  ration, may be any percentage of the  total  cost  including  the  whole
    14  thereof.  Where  the compensation of any officer or employee whose posi-
    15  tion is covered by medical and surgical services and hospital service or
    16  medical and surgical and hospital insurance pursuant to this section  is
    17  paid  from  a  special  or  administrative fund provided for by law, the
    18  contributions required to be paid by the  public  corporation  for  such
    19  coverage  shall  be  paid  from such special or administrative fund. The
    20  public corporation shall be authorized to pay directly to such  non-pro-
    21  fit  membership  corporation  or to such insurance company, the total of
    22  such appropriation and of such officer and employee deductions.
    23    2-a. Thirty days prior to the governing board of a public  corporation
    24  authorizing  or approving a change in premium or a substantive change in
    25  coverage in a contract or plan of  health  insurance,  or  an  amendment
    26  thereto,  for  retired  officers,  retired  employees, or their families
    27  pursuant to subdivision two of  this  section,  the  public  corporation
    28  shall  give written notice of such proposed contract, plan or amendment,
    29  to the retired officers, retired employees, or their  families  who  are
    30  covered  under such contract or plan. Where the contract, plan or amend-
    31  ment is contracted for as part of negotiations between a  public  corpo-
    32  ration  and a recognized and certified employee organization pursuant to
    33  article fourteen of the civil service law, such written notice shall  be
    34  given  at  the  time  such  health  insurance contract is binding on the
    35  covered retired officers, retired employees,  or  their  families.  Such
    36  written  notice shall contain either: (a) the full text of such proposed
    37  contract, plan or  amendment  and  any  relevant  financial  information
    38  including, but not limited to the cost of the proposed contract, plan or
    39  amendment  to the public corporation and the cost to the covered retired
    40  officers, retired employees, or their families; or (b) the general terms
    41  of the proposed contract, plan or  amendment  along  with  the  physical
    42  location  and  web address to a secure website where the covered retired
    43  officers, retired employees or their family members can obtain the  full
    44  text  of  such  proposed  contract,  plan  or amendment and any relevant
    45  financial information including, but not limited  to  the  cost  of  the
    46  proposed  contract,  plan or amendment to the public corporation and the
    47  cost to the covered retired officers, retired employees, or their  fami-
    48  lies.
    49    §  2.  This  act  shall take effect immediately and shall apply to any
    50  health insurance contract or plan entered into,  renewed,  modified,  or
    51  amended on or after such effective date.