HB2094 - 501R

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 38-651, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE38-651. Expenditure of monies for health and accident insurance; definition

A. The department of administration may expend public monies appropriated for such purpose to procure health and accident coverage for full‑time officers and employees of this state and its departments and agencies. The department of administration may adopt rules that provide that if an employee dies while the employee's surviving spouse's health insurance is in force, the surviving spouse is entitled to no more than thirty‑six months of extended coverage at one hundred two per cent of the group rates by paying the premiums. Except as provided by section 38‑1103, no public monies may be expended to pay all or any part of the premium of health insurance continued in force by the surviving spouse. If the surviving spouse continues the coverage, the surviving spouse and any eligible dependents shall pay only the out‑of‑pocket premium amount for their classification that an active employee would pay for the same classification. The department of administration shall seek a variety of plans, including indemnity health insurance, hospital and medical service plans, dental plans and health maintenance organizations. On a recommendation of the department of administration and the review of the joint legislative budget committee, the department of administration may self‑insure for the purposes of this subsection. If the department of administration self‑insures, the department may contract directly with preferred provider organizations, physician and hospital networks, indemnity health insurers, hospital and medical service plans, dental plans and health maintenance organizations. If the department self‑insures, the department shall provide that the self‑insurance program include all health coverage benefits that are mandated pursuant to title 20. The self‑insurance program shall include provisions to provide for the protection of the officers and employees, including grievance procedures for claim or treatment denials, creditable coverage determinations, dissatisfaction with care and access to care issues. The department of administration by rule shall designate and adopt performance standards, including cost competitiveness, utilization review issues, network development and access, conversion and implementation, report timeliness, quality outcomes and customer satisfaction for qualifying plans. The qualifying plans for which the standards are adopted include indemnity health insurance, hospital and medical service plans, closed panel medical and dental plans and health maintenance organizations, and for eligibility of officers and employees to participate in such plans. Any indemnity health insurance or hospital and medical service plan designated as a qualifying plan by the department of administration must be open for enrollment to all permanent full‑time state employees, except that any plan established prior to June 6, 1977 may be continued as a separate plan. Any closed panel medical or dental plan or health maintenance organization designated as the qualifying plan by the department of administration must be open for enrollment to all permanent full‑time state employees residing within the geographic area or area to be served by the plan or organization. Officers and employees may select coverage under the available options.

B. The department of administration may expend public monies appropriated for such purpose to procure health and accident coverage for the dependents of full‑time officers and employees of this state and its departments and agencies. The department of administration shall seek a variety of plans, including indemnity health insurance, hospital and medical service plans, dental plans and health maintenance organizations. On a recommendation of the department of administration and the review of the joint legislative budget committee, the department of administration may self‑insure for the purposes of this subsection. If the department of administration self‑insures, the department may contract directly with preferred provider organizations, physician and hospital networks, indemnity health insurers, hospital and medical service plans, dental plans and health maintenance organizations. If the department self‑insures, the department shall provide that the self‑insurance program include all health coverage benefits that are mandated pursuant to title 20. The self‑insurance program shall include provisions to provide for the protection of the officers and employees, including grievance procedures for claim or treatment denials, creditable coverage determinations, dissatisfaction with care and access to care issues. The department of administration by rule shall designate and adopt performance standards, including cost competitiveness, utilization review issues, network development and access, conversion and implementation, report timeliness, quality outcomes and customer satisfaction for qualifying plans. The qualifying plans for which the standards are adopted include indemnity health insurance, hospital and medical service plans, closed panel medical and dental plans and health maintenance organizations, and for eligibility of the dependents of officers and employees to participate in such plans. Any indemnity health insurance or hospital and medical service plan designated as a qualifying plan by the department of administration must be open for enrollment to all permanent full‑time state employees, except that any plan established prior to June 6, 1977 may be continued as a separate plan. Any closed panel medical or dental plan or health maintenance organization designated as a qualifying plan by the department of administration must be open for enrollment to all permanent full‑time state employees residing within the geographic area or area to be served by the plan or organization. Officers and employees may select coverage under the available options.

C. The department of administration may designate the Arizona health care cost containment system established by title 36, chapter 29 as a qualifying plan for the provision of health and accident coverage to full‑time state officers and employees and their dependents. The Arizona health care cost containment system shall not be the exclusive qualifying plan for health and accident coverage for state officers and employees either on a statewide or regional basis.

D. Except as provided in section 38‑652, public monies expended pursuant to this section each month shall not exceed:

1. Five hundred dollars multiplied by the number of officers and employees who receive individual coverage.

2. One thousand two hundred dollars multiplied by the number of married couples if both members of the couple are either officers or employees and each receives individual coverage or family coverage.

3. One thousand two hundred dollars multiplied by the number of officers or employees who receive family coverage if the spouses of the officers or employees are not officers or employees.

E. Subsection D of this section:

1. Establishes a total maximum expenditure of public monies pursuant to this section.

2. Does not establish a minimum or maximum expenditure for each individual officer or employee.

F. In order to ensure that an officer or employee does not suffer a financial penalty or receive a financial benefit based on the officer's or employee's age, gender or health status, the department of administration shall consider implementing the following:

1. Requests for proposals for health insurance that specify that the carrier's proposed premiums for each plan be based on the expected age, gender and health status of the entire pool of employees and officers and their family members enrolled in all qualifying plans and not on the age, gender or health status of the individuals expected to enroll in the particular plan for which the premium is proposed.

2. Recommendations from a legislatively established study group on risk adjustments relating to a system for reallocating premium revenues among the contracting qualifying plans to the extent necessary to adjust the revenues received by any carrier to reflect differences between the average age, gender and health status of the enrollees in that carrier's plan or plans and the average age, gender and health status of all enrollees in all qualifying plans.

G. Each officer or employee shall certify on the initial application for family coverage that the officer or employee is not receiving more than the contribution for which eligible pursuant to subsection D of this section. Each officer or employee shall also provide the certification on any change of coverage or marital status.

H. If a qualifying health maintenance organization is not available to an officer or employee within fifty miles of the officer's or employee's residence and the officer or employee is enrolled in a qualifying plan, the officer or employee shall be offered the opportunity to enroll with a health maintenance organization when the option becomes available. If a health maintenance organization is available within fifty miles and it is determined by the department of administration that there is an insufficient number of medical providers in the organization, the department may provide for a change in enrollment from plans designated by the director when additional medical providers join the organization.

I. Notwithstanding subsection H of this section, officers and employees who enroll in a qualifying plan and reside outside the area of a qualifying health maintenance organization shall be offered the option to enroll with a qualified health maintenance organization offered through their provider under the same premiums as if they lived within the area boundaries of the qualified health maintenance organization, if:

1. All medical services are rendered and received at an office designated by the qualifying health maintenance organization or at a facility referred by the health maintenance organization.

2. All nonemergency or nonurgent travel, ambulatory and other expenses from the residence area of the officer or employee to the designated office of the qualifying health maintenance organization or the facility referred by the health maintenance organization are the responsibility of and at the expense of the officer or employee.

3. All emergency or urgent travel, ambulatory and other expenses from the residence area of the officer or employee to the designated office of the qualifying health maintenance organization or the facility referred by the health maintenance organization are paid pursuant to any agreement between the health maintenance organization and the officer or employee living outside the area of the qualifying health maintenance organization.

J. The department of administration shall allow any school district in this state that meets the requirements of section 15‑388, a charter school in this state that meets the requirements of section 15‑187.01 or a city, town, county, community college district, special taxing district, authority or public entity organized pursuant to the laws of this state that meets the requirements of section 38‑656 to participate in the health and accident coverage prescribed in this section, except that participation is only allowed in a health plan that is offered by the department and that is subject to title 20, chapter 1, article 1. A school district, a charter school, a city, a town, a county, a community college district, a special taxing district, an authority or any public entity organized pursuant to the laws of this state rather than this state shall pay directly to the benefits provider the premium for its employees.

K. The department of administration shall determine the actual administrative and operational costs associated with school districts, charter schools, cities, towns, counties, community college districts, special taxing districts, authorities and public entities organized pursuant to the laws of this state participating in the state health and accident insurance coverage. These costs shall be allocated to each school district, charter school, city, town, county, community college district, special taxing district, authority and public entity organized pursuant to the laws of this state based on the total number of employees participating in the coverage. This subsection only applies to a health plan that is offered by the department and that is subject to title 20, chapter 1, article 1.

L. Insurance providers contracting with this state shall separately maintain records that delineate claims and other expenses attributable to participation of a school district, charter school, city, town, county, community college district, special taxing district, authority and public entity organized pursuant to the laws of this state in the state health and accident insurance coverage and, by November 1 of each year, shall report to the department of administration the extent to which state costs are impacted by participation of school districts, charter schools, cities, towns, counties, community college districts, special taxing districts, authorities and public entities organized pursuant to the laws of this state in the state health and accident insurance coverage. By December 1 of each year, the director of the department of administration shall submit a report to the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives detailing the information provided to the department by the insurance providers and including any recommendations for possible legislative action.

M. Notwithstanding subsection J of this section, any school district in this state that meets the requirements of section 15‑388, a charter school in this state that meets the requirements of section 15‑187.01 or a city, town, county, community college district, special taxing district, authority or public entity organized pursuant to the laws of this state that meets the requirements of section 38‑656 may apply to the department of administration to participate in the self‑insurance program that is provided by this section pursuant to rules adopted by the department. A participating entity shall reimburse the department for all premiums and administrative or other insurance costs. The department shall actuarially prescribe the annual premium for each participating entity to reflect the actual cost of each participating entity.

N. Any person that submits a bid to provide health and accident coverage pursuant to this section shall disclose any court or administrative judgments or orders issued against that person within the last ten years before the submittal.

O. For the purposes of this section, "dependent" means a spouse under the laws of this state, a child who is under twenty‑six years of age or a child who was disabled before reaching nineteen years of age, who continues to be disabled under 42 United States Code section 1382c and for whom the employee had custody before reaching nineteen years of age. END_STATUTE