House File 221 - Introduced



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  MASCHER


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

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act providing for a feasibility study on creating a statewide
  2    public employee health insurance system.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 2300HH 81
  5 ec/pj/5

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  IOWA PUBLIC EMPLOYEE HEALTH INSURANCE SYSTEM ==
  1  2 FEASIBILITY STUDY.
  1  3    1.  The director of the department of administrative
  1  4 services, in collaboration with the commissioner of insurance,
  1  5 shall conduct a feasibility study on the creation of a
  1  6 statewide public employee health benefit system.  The study
  1  7 shall examine whether a statewide public employee health
  1  8 benefit system will minimize health insurance risk by
  1  9 combining the numerous subgroups of public employees into a
  1 10 single risk pool to stabilize health insurance costs.  The
  1 11 study shall include a cost=benefit analysis of the current
  1 12 system of providing health benefits versus a single risk pool
  1 13 envisioned with a statewide public employee health benefit
  1 14 system.  The director of the department of administrative
  1 15 services and the commissioner of insurance shall involve state
  1 16 and political subdivision representatives and representatives
  1 17 of organizations representing state and political subdivision
  1 18 employees subdivisions to advise the director and commissioner
  1 19 in the development of the feasibility study.
  1 20    2.  The study shall examine the feasibility of all of the
  1 21 following:
  1 22    a.  Establishing a premium rating system based on the
  1 23 statewide health status, claim experience, and other
  1 24 demographic characteristics of public employees.
  1 25    b.  Establishing basic or standard health benefit plans
  1 26 with benefit levels, cost=sharing levels, exclusions, and
  1 27 limitations available to the state and all political
  1 28 subdivisions and their employees.
  1 29    c.  Establishing uniform coverage plans with benefit
  1 30 coverage that may be added to the basic or standard plans at
  1 31 the option of the state and political subdivisions.
  1 32    d.  Establishing restrictions on premium rates and rate
  1 33 increases.
  1 34    e.  Establishing a statewide public employee health
  1 35 reinsurance program.
  2  1    3.  The director of the department of administrative
  2  2 services and the commissioner of insurance shall submit a
  2  3 joint report concerning the results of the feasibility study,
  2  4 including their findings and recommendations, to the general
  2  5 assembly by January 15, 2006.
  2  6                           EXPLANATION
  2  7    This bill requires the director of the department of
  2  8 administrative services and the commissioner of insurance to
  2  9 jointly conduct a feasibility study concerning the creation of
  2 10 a statewide public employee health benefit system.  The bill
  2 11 provides that the study include a cost=benefit analysis of the
  2 12 current system of providing health benefits versus a single
  2 13 risk pool envisioned with a statewide public employee health
  2 14 benefit system.  The director of the department of
  2 15 administrative services and the commissioner of insurance are
  2 16 also required to involve representatives of the state and its
  2 17 political subdivisions and organizations representing
  2 18 employees of the state and these political subdivisions to
  2 19 advise them regarding the feasibility study.  The bill
  2 20 requires that the director of the department of administrative
  2 21 services and the commissioner of insurance submit a joint
  2 22 report on the results of the study to the general assembly by
  2 23 January 15, 2006.
  2 24 LSB 2300HH 81
  2 25 ec:nh/pj/5