Senate File 386

                                       SENATE FILE       
                                       BY  COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

                                       (SUCCESSOR TO SF 212)


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

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act requiring the insurance division of the department of
  2    commerce to establish a school health insurance reform team
  3    study and to make recommendations to the general assembly.
  4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  5 TLSB 2820SV 80
  6 av/sh/8

PAG LIN

  1  1    Section 1.  SCHOOL HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM TEAM STUDY.  The
  1  2 insurance division of the department of commerce shall
  1  3 establish a school health insurance reform team.  The school
  1  4 health insurance reform team shall conduct a study to review
  1  5 the availability of affordable health insurance coverage for
  1  6 school district employees, insurance ratings practices, the
  1  7 establishment of continuity of coverage for school districts
  1  8 and their employees, and methods to improve the efficiency and
  1  9 fairness of the health insurance marketplace for school
  1 10 districts and their employees.  The study shall include a
  1 11 comparison of health insurance coverage that is offered to
  1 12 school district employees, to other public employees, and to
  1 13 employees in the private sector.  The school health insurance
  1 14 reform team shall examine the feasibility of the following:
  1 15    1.  Establishing a premium rating system based on the
  1 16 statewide health status, claims experience, and other
  1 17 demographic characteristics of school district employees.
  1 18    2.  Establishing basic or standard health benefit plans
  1 19 with benefit levels, cost=sharing levels, exclusions, and
  1 20 limitations available to all school districts and their
  1 21 employees.
  1 22    3.  Establishing uniform coverage plans with benefit
  1 23 coverages that may be added to the basic or standard plans, at
  1 24 the option of a school district.
  1 25    4.  Establishing restrictions on premium rates and rate
  1 26 increases.
  1 27    5.  Establishing a school district health reinsurance
  1 28 program.
  1 29    The commissioner of insurance shall select the members of
  1 30 the school health insurance reform team which shall include a
  1 31 representative of a school district with fewer than six
  1 32 hundred students, a representative of a school district with
  1 33 six hundred to nine hundred ninety=nine students, a
  1 34 representative of a school district with one thousand or more
  1 35 students, a representative of the Iowa association of school
  2  1 boards, a representative of a collective bargaining
  2  2 organization that represents school district employees, a
  2  3 representative of a health insurance carrier, a representative
  2  4 of a health insurance provider, a representative of an area
  2  5 education agency, and others, who, in the opinion of the
  2  6 commissioner, have expertise that would assist the team in
  2  7 accomplishing its purpose.
  2  8    The commissioner shall submit a report to the general
  2  9 assembly on or before January 15, 2004, regarding the team's
  2 10 findings and recommendations, including proposed legislation,
  2 11 concerning health insurance coverage for school districts and
  2 12 their employees.
  2 13 SF 386
  2 14 av/cc/26