38-651.01. Group health and accident coverage for retired public employees and elected officials and their dependents

A. The department of administration, by rule, shall adopt standards to establish group health and accident coverage for former employees who worked for this state and who opt on retirement to enroll or continue enrollment in the group health and accident coverage for active employees working for this state, or with a disability, and receiving either income from a retirement program of this state or long-term disability income benefits pursuant to section 38-651.03 or chapter 5, article 2.1 of this title and their dependents and to establish eligibility for retired state employees or state employees with a disability to participate in the coverage. The department of administration may adopt rules that provide that if a retired insured or insured person with a disability dies before an insured surviving dependent, the insured surviving dependent is entitled to extended coverage at group rates if the insured surviving dependent elects to continue in the coverage within six months of the death of the retired insured or insured  person with a disability and the insured surviving dependent agrees to pay the cost of the premium for group health and accident insurance.  On notification of the death, the department of administration shall immediately notify an insured surviving dependent of the provisions of this section. The department of administration may enter into agreements with former state employees with a disability and their dependents who elect to obtain the coverage provided by this section.  The agreements may include provisions for the payment of amounts sufficient to pay for the premium and administrative expense of providing the coverage. The department of administration may adopt rules that provide that on the death of a state employee who at the time of death was eligible for normal retirement pursuant to section 38-757 under the Arizona state retirement system, the insured surviving spouse and eligible dependent children are entitled to continue coverage under group rates provided that the deceased insured state employee, spouse and dependent children were insured at the time of the employee's death. The insured surviving spouse shall be charged an amount sufficient to pay the full premium for the coverage.

B. The department of administration, by rule, may adopt standards to establish group health and accident coverage for former elected officials of this state or its political subdivisions and their dependents and to establish eligibility for former elected officials to participate in the coverage. Qualifications for eligibility shall include that the former elected official has at least five years of credited service in the elected officials' retirement plan pursuant to chapter 5 of this title, had been covered under a group health or group health and accident plan while serving as an elected official and had been serving as an elected official on or after January 1, 1983. The department of administration may adopt rules that provide that on the death of an elected official or insured former elected official, the insured surviving spouse is entitled to coverage at group rates provided that the deceased insured former elected official met or would have met the qualifications for eligibility pursuant to this subsection or that the deceased elected official would have met the qualifications for eligibility had the deceased not been in office at the time of death. Except as provided in subsection J of this section, the insured former elected official or the insured surviving spouse shall be charged amounts that are sufficient to pay for the premium and state administrative expense of providing coverage. Notwithstanding subsection J of this section, the standards shall provide that all or any portion of the former state employees or former elected officials or their dependents shall be grouped with officers and employees of this state and its departments and agencies or their dependents as necessary to obtain health and accident coverage at favorable rates.

C. The Arizona state retirement system board may enter into agreements with state employee members of the system and plan who are retired or who have a disability, retired members of the elected officials' defined contribution retirement system established pursuant to chapter 5, article 3.1 of this title and retired participants of the public safety personnel defined contribution retirement plan established pursuant to chapter 5, article 4.1 of this title who elect to obtain the coverage provided pursuant to subsection A of this section. The agreements may include provision for the deduction from the retirement benefits of participants of a retirement program of this state who elect to obtain coverage of amounts sufficient to pay for the premium not covered under retirement benefits and state administrative expense of providing coverage.

D. Retired state employee members or state employee members with a disability of the public safety personnel retirement system, the public safety personnel defined contribution retirement plan established pursuant to chapter 5, article 4.1 of this title, the elected officials' retirement plan, the elected officials' defined contribution retirement system established pursuant to chapter 5, article 3.1 of this title, the corrections officer retirement plan or the optional retirement programs authorized pursuant to section 15-1628 who opt on retirement to enroll or continue enrollment in the group health and accident coverage for active employees working for this state and their dependents and who are receiving benefits from the public safety personnel retirement system, the public safety personnel defined contribution retirement plan established pursuant to chapter 5, article 4.1 of this title, the elected officials' retirement plan, the elected officials' defined contribution retirement system established pursuant to chapter 5, article 3.1 of this title, the corrections officer retirement plan or the optional retirement programs authorized pursuant to section 15-1628 may participate in group health and accident coverage provided pursuant to this section. The department of administration shall adopt rules that are necessary for the implementation of this subsection.

E. The board of trustees of the public safety personnel retirement system may enter into agreements with retired state employee members and their dependents who elect to obtain the coverage provided pursuant to this section. The agreements may include provision for the deduction from the retirement benefits of participants of a retirement program of this state who elect to obtain coverage of amounts sufficient to pay for the premium not covered under retirement benefits and state administrative expense of providing coverage.

F. The board of trustees of the public safety personnel retirement system may enter into agreements with retired judges and retired elected officials and their dependents who elect to obtain the coverage provided pursuant to this section. The agreements may include provision for the deduction from the retirement benefits of participants of a retirement program of this state who elect to obtain coverage of amounts sufficient to pay for the premium not covered under retirement benefits and state administrative expense of providing coverage.

G. The board of trustees of the public safety personnel retirement system may contract with an insurance carrier and adopt standards to establish a group health and accident insurance coverage program for retired members of the public safety personnel retirement system, their dependents and their spouses. Any members or spouses who elect to obtain the group health and accident coverage provided under this subsection shall agree to a deduction from their monthly retirement benefits of an amount sufficient to pay for the premium not covered under retirement benefits and the administrative expense of providing coverage.

H. A county board of supervisors may enter into agreements to establish group health and accident coverage for retired county employees or county employees with a disability and their dependents who elect to obtain the coverage provided pursuant to section 11-263, subsection B.  The agreements may include provision for the deduction from the retirement benefits of participants of a retirement program of this state who elect to obtain the coverage of amounts sufficient to pay for the premium not covered under retirement benefits and the administrative expense of providing for the coverage.

I. Nonmedicare eligible retirees who live in this state, who enroll in a qualifying plan under this section and who 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 provided that:

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 retiree 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 retiree.

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

J. Public funds shall not be expended to pay all or any part of the premium of insurance pursuant to this section except for monies authorized to be paid for any insured from the retirement plan from which the insured is receiving benefits.

K. A retired member of the elected officials' defined contribution retirement system established pursuant to chapter 5, article 3.1 of this title may elect to obtain the coverage provided pursuant to subsection A of this section, but shall pay the premium for the coverage selected and is not eligible for benefits pursuant to section 38-783 or 38-817.

L. A retired participant of the public safety personnel defined contribution retirement plan established pursuant to chapter 5, article 4.1 of this title may elect to obtain the coverage provided pursuant to subsection A of this section, but shall pay the premium for the coverage selected.  A retired participant that makes an election pursuant to section 38-869 may be eligible for group health benefits as specified in section 38-869.