HOUSE BILL No. 4330

 

 

March 8, 2017, Introduced by Reps. Bellino, Kahle, LaFave, Marino, Frederick, Leutheuser, Barrett, Griffin, Allor, Hauck, VanderWall, Hornberger, Noble, Glenn, Sheppard, Rendon, Wentworth, Hernandez, Johnson, Bizon, Miller, Inman, Howrylak and Hughes and referred to the Committee on Financial Liability Reform.

 

     A bill to amend 1957 PA 261, entitled

 

"Michigan legislative retirement system act,"

 

by amending sections 50b and 79 (MCL 38.1050b and 38.1079), section

 

50b as amended by 1998 PA 501 and section 79 as amended by 2011 PA

 

200.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 50b. (1) For a retirant or a survivor or beneficiary of a

 

deceased retirant, or for a deferred vested member if that the

 

deferred vested member first became a member on or before January

 

1, 1995, the retirement system shall purchase and, subject to

 

subsection (3), pay the premium for hospitalization and medical

 

insurance coverage and dental and vision coverage for the retirant,

 

the deferred vested member, and the spouses, eligible children, and


survivors of those retirants and deferred vested members. Except as

 

otherwise provided in this section, the retirement system shall

 

provide hospitalization and medical insurance coverage and dental

 

and vision insurance coverage under this section at a level that is

 

equal to or greater than the level of insurance coverage under this

 

section in effect on December 1, 1992. The retirement board may

 

increase the amounts each person who is enrolled in insurance

 

coverage under this section is required to pay for co-pays or

 

deductibles under that insurance coverage.

 

     (2) On and after March 31, 1997, the The retirement system

 

shall also pay health insurance premiums described in this section

 

in the manner prescribed in section 79.

 

     (3) Beginning January 1, 2018, the retirement system shall pay

 

80% of the entire monthly premium for hospitalization and medical

 

insurance coverage and dental and vision coverage for the retirant,

 

the deferred vested member, and the spouses, eligible children, and

 

survivors of those retirants and deferred vested members who are

 

eligible for that coverage under subsection (1).

 

     Sec. 79. (1) A former qualified participant may elect health

 

insurance benefits in the manner prescribed in this section if he

 

or she meets both of the following requirements:

 

     (a) The former qualified participant is vested in health

 

benefits under section 75(2).

 

     (b) The former qualified participant meets 1 of the following

 

requirements:

 

     (i) He or she meets or exceeds the benefit commencement age

 

employed used in the actuarial present value calculation under


section 62 and the service requirements that would have applied to

 

that the former participant under Tier 1 for receiving health

 

insurance coverage under section 50b, if that the former

 

participant was a member of Tier 1.

 

     (ii) He or she is 55 years of age or older.

 

     (2) A former qualified participant who is eligible to elect

 

health insurance coverage under subsection (1) may elect health

 

insurance coverage in a health benefit plan or plans as authorized

 

by section 50b. A former qualified participant who is eligible to

 

elect health insurance coverage under subsection (1) may also elect

 

health insurance coverage for his or her health benefit dependents,

 

if any. A surviving health benefit dependent of a deceased former

 

qualified participant who is eligible to elect health insurance

 

coverage under subsection (1) may elect health insurance coverage

 

to begin at the death of the deceased former qualified participant

 

in the manner prescribed in this section.

 

     (3) An individual who elects health insurance coverage under

 

this section shall will become a member of a health insurance

 

coverage group authorized pursuant to under section 50b.

 

     (4) For a former qualified participant who is eligible to

 

elect health insurance coverage under subsection (1) and who is

 

vested in those benefits under section 75(2)(a) or (c), and for his

 

or her health benefit dependents, this state shall pay a portion of

 

the health insurance premium as calculated under this subsection on

 

a cash disbursement method. An individual described in this

 

subsection who elects health insurance coverage under this section

 

shall pay to the retirement system the remaining portion of the


health insurance coverage premium not paid by this state under this

 

subsection. The Until December 31, 2017, the portion of the health

 

insurance coverage premium paid by this state under this subsection

 

shall must be 90% of the payments for health insurance coverage

 

under section 50b. Beginning January 1, 2018, the portion of the

 

health insurance coverage premium paid by this state under this

 

subsection may not exceed 80% of the entire premium for health

 

insurance coverage described in section 50b. If the individual

 

elects the health insurance coverage provided under section 50b,

 

this state shall transfer its portion of the amount calculated

 

under this subsection to the health insurance fund created by

 

section 22c.

 

     (5) For a former qualified participant who is eligible to

 

elect health insurance coverage under subsection (1) and who is

 

vested in those benefits under section 75(2)(b), and for his or her

 

health benefit dependents, this state shall pay a portion of the

 

health insurance premium as calculated under this subsection on a

 

cash disbursement method. An individual described in this

 

subsection who elects health insurance coverage under this section

 

shall pay to the retirement system the remaining portion of the

 

health insurance coverage premium not paid by this state under this

 

subsection. The portion of the health insurance coverage premium

 

paid by this state under this subsection shall must be equal to the

 

premium amounts paid on behalf of retirants of Tier 1 for health

 

insurance coverage under section 50b. If the individual elects the

 

health insurance coverage provided under section 50b, the this

 

state shall transfer its portion of the amount calculated under


this subsection to the health insurance fund created by section

 

22c.

 

     (6) If the department of technology, management, and budget

 

receives notification from the United States internal revenue

 

service Internal Revenue Service that this section or any portion

 

of this section will cause the retirement system to be disqualified

 

for tax purposes under the internal revenue code, then the portion

 

that will cause the disqualification does not apply.

 

     (7) A former qualified participant who does not meet the

 

vesting requirements of section 75(2) is not eligible for health

 

insurance benefits under this act.