House File 2238 - Introduced



                                  HOUSE FILE       
                                  BY  WINCKLER, WESSEL=KROESCHELL,
                                      LENSING, HUNTER, MASCHER, MERTZ,
                                      BUKTA, WHITEAD, LYKAM, FREVERT,
                                      D. TAYLOR, KRESSIG, ZIRKELBACH,
                                      SWAIM, and GASKILL


    Passed House,  Date               Passed Senate, Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act allowing the continuation of group health insurance for
  2    spouses of certain retired public employees and providing for
  3    retroactive applicability.
  4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  5 TLSB 5118HH 82
  6 av/nh/8

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 509A.13, Code 2007, is amended to read
  1  2 as follows:
  1  3    509A.13  CONTINUATION OF GROUP INSURANCE.
  1  4    1.  a.  If a governing body, a county board of supervisors,
  1  5 or a city council has procured for its employees accident,
  1  6 health, or hospitalization insurance, or a medical service
  1  7 plan, or has contracted with a health maintenance organization
  1  8 authorized to do business in this state, the governing body,
  1  9 county board of supervisors, or city council shall allow its
  1 10 employees who retired before attaining sixty=five years of age
  1 11 to continue participation in the group plan or under the group
  1 12 contract at the employee's own expense until the employee
  1 13 attains sixty=five years of age.
  1 14    b.  This section subsection applies to employees who
  1 15 retired on or after January 1, 1981.
  1 16    2.  a.  If an employee who retired before attaining
  1 17 sixty=five years of age continues to participate in the group
  1 18 plan or under the group contract until the employee attains
  1 19 sixty=five years of age as provided in subsection 1, the
  1 20 governing body, county board of supervisors, or city council
  1 21 may allow the spouse of that employee to elect to continue
  1 22 participation as a member in the group plan or under the group
  1 23 contract at the spouse's own expense until the spouse attains
  1 24 sixty=five years of age.  A spouse who makes such an election
  1 25 shall pay the total premium for the group plan or contract and
  1 26 shall have the same rights to change programs or coverage as
  1 27 the retired employee.
  1 28    b.  This subsection applies to spouses of employees who
  1 29 retired on or after January 1, 2005.
  1 30                           EXPLANATION
  1 31    This bill relates to the continuation of group health
  1 32 insurance benefits for spouses of certain retired public
  1 33 employees.
  1 34    The bill provides that if a state, county, or city employee
  1 35 who retired before age 65 continues to participate in the
  2  1 group health plan or contract until that person reaches age
  2  2 65, the state, county, or city may allow the spouse of the
  2  3 retired employee to elect to continue to participate as a
  2  4 member of the group health plan or contract at the spouse's
  2  5 expense until the spouse also reaches age 65.  The bill
  2  6 applies to spouses of employees who retired on or after
  2  7 January 1, 2005.
  2  8 LSB 5118HH 82
  2  9 av/nh/8