Texas 2011 - 82nd Regular

Texas House Bill HB1766 Compare Versions

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11 82R18811 KCR-F
22 By: Crownover, Truitt, Zerwas, Anchia, H.B. No. 1766
33 Taylor of Galveston, et al.
44 Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1766:
55 By: Anchia C.S.H.B. No. 1766
66
77
88 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
99 AN ACT
1010 relating to the creation of a voluntary consumer-directed health
1111 plan for certain individuals eligible to participate in the
1212 insurance coverage provided under the Texas Employees Group
1313 Benefits Act and their qualified dependents.
1414 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1515 SECTION 1. Chapter 1551, Insurance Code, is amended by
1616 adding Subchapter J to read as follows:
1717 SUBCHAPTER J. STATE CONSUMER-DIRECTED HEALTH PLAN
1818 Sec. 1551.451. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
1919 (1) "High deductible health plan" means a health
2020 benefit plan that complies with Section 223(c), Internal Revenue
2121 Code of 1986, and other federal law.
2222 (2) "Plan enrollee" means a participant who is
2323 enrolled in the plan established under this subchapter.
2424 (3) "Qualified medical expense" means an expense paid
2525 by a plan enrollee for medical care, as defined by Section 213(d),
2626 Internal Revenue Code of 1986, for the enrollee or the enrollee's
2727 dependents as defined by Section 152, Internal Revenue Code of
2828 1986.
2929 Sec. 1551.452. ESTABLISHMENT OF STATE CONSUMER-DIRECTED
3030 HEALTH PLAN. (a) The state consumer-directed health plan is
3131 established for the benefit of individuals eligible to participate
3232 in the group benefits program and those individuals' eligible
3333 dependents.
3434 (b) The board of trustees may adopt rules necessary to
3535 administer this subchapter. In implementing this subchapter the
3636 board shall:
3737 (1) establish health savings accounts under this
3838 subchapter and administer or select an administrator for the
3939 accounts;
4040 (2) finance or purchase a high deductible health plan
4141 that:
4242 (A) is an integral part of the state
4343 consumer-directed health plan; and
4444 (B) provides health benefit coverage, including
4545 preventive health care, to a plan enrollee in the state
4646 consumer-directed health plan and to the dependents of a plan
4747 enrollee in accordance with Section 1551.456; and
4848 (3) provide to individuals eligible to participate in
4949 the group benefits program information regarding the option to
5050 participate in and operation of the state consumer-directed health
5151 plan established under this subchapter.
5252 (c) If the board of trustees purchases a high deductible
5353 health plan under this subchapter, Sections 1551.215-1551.218
5454 apply to the high deductible health plan.
5555 (d) In adopting rules and administering health savings
5656 accounts or selecting administrators for health savings accounts
5757 under this subchapter, the board of trustees shall ensure that the
5858 health savings accounts are qualified for appropriate federal tax
5959 exemptions.
6060 Sec. 1551.453. PARTICIPATION IN STATE CONSUMER-DIRECTED
6161 HEALTH PLAN; EFFECT OF PARTICIPATION. (a) The board of trustees
6262 shall offer individuals eligible to participate in the basic
6363 coverage plan the option of waiving participation in the basic
6464 coverage plan and instead electing participation in the state
6565 consumer-directed health plan.
6666 (b) For purposes of this chapter, participation in the state
6767 consumer-directed health plan is considered participation in the
6868 group benefits program, and Sections 1551.301, 1551.303, 1551.305,
6969 and 1551.306 apply to participation in the state consumer-directed
7070 health plan in the same manner that those sections apply to the
7171 basic coverage plan.
7272 Sec. 1551.454. ACCOUNT ADMINISTRATOR. (a) The account
7373 administrator selected to administer a health savings account
7474 established under this subchapter must be a person:
7575 (1) qualified to serve as trustee under Section
7676 223(d)(1)(B), Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and the rules adopted
7777 under that section; and
7878 (2) experienced in administering health savings
7979 accounts or other similar trust accounts.
8080 (b) An account administrator is the fiduciary of a plan
8181 enrollee who has a health savings account established under this
8282 subchapter.
8383 (c) Section 1551.056(b) does not apply to the account
8484 administrator.
8585 Sec. 1551.455. PARTICIPATION IN PROGRAM. (a) Each
8686 individual eligible to participate in the basic coverage may choose
8787 instead to participate in the state consumer-directed health plan
8888 if the plan enrollee is an eligible individual under Section
8989 223(c)(1), Internal Revenue Code of 1986. The dependents of a plan
9090 enrollee may participate in the state consumer-directed health plan
9191 in accordance with Section 1551.456.
9292 (b) A plan enrollee waives basic plan coverage and must be
9393 enrolled in a high deductible health plan.
9494 (c) Participation in the state consumer-directed health
9595 plan qualifies a plan enrollee to receive a contribution to a health
9696 savings account under Section 1551.458. An individual who elects
9797 not to participate in the plan is not eligible to receive a
9898 contribution under that section.
9999 (d) A plan enrollee is subject to Subchapter H in the same
100100 manner as an individual who participates in the basic coverage
101101 offered under the group benefits program.
102102 (e) Under this section, the board of trustees has exclusive
103103 authority to determine an individual's eligibility to participate
104104 in the state consumer-directed health plan and shall adopt rules
105105 regarding eligibility to participate in the plan.
106106 Sec. 1551.456. COVERAGE FOR DEPENDENTS; REQUIRED
107107 CONTRIBUTIONS. (a) Subject to Subsection (d), a plan enrollee is
108108 entitled to obtain for the enrollee's dependents coverage in the
109109 state consumer-directed health plan in the manner determined by the
110110 board of trustees.
111111 (b) The plan enrollee shall make any required additional
112112 contribution payments for the dependent coverage in the manner
113113 prescribed by the board of trustees.
114114 (c) Amounts contributed by a plan enrollee under this
115115 section may be:
116116 (1) used to pay the cost of coverage in the state
117117 consumer-directed health plan not paid by the state under Section
118118 1551.458(b); or
119119 (2) allocated by the board to an enrollee's health
120120 savings account in the manner described by Section 1551.458(c).
121121 (d) A covered dependent of a plan enrollee:
122122 (1) is subject to Subchapter H in the same manner as a
123123 dependent who is covered by the basic coverage offered under the
124124 group benefits program; and
125125 (2) must be a dependent for purposes of this chapter.
126126 Sec. 1551.457. IDENTIFICATION CARDS FOR PLAN ENROLLEES.
127127 (a) The board of trustees or the account administrator, as
128128 applicable, shall issue to each plan enrollee an identification
129129 card.
130130 (b) The board of trustees or the account administrator, as
131131 applicable, shall issue a duplicate identification card to each
132132 plan enrollee's dependent for whom qualified medical expenses may
133133 be paid out of a health savings account established under this
134134 subchapter.
135135 Sec. 1551.458. STATE CONTRIBUTION. (a) For each plan
136136 enrollee, from the state contribution that would otherwise be made
137137 for basic coverage for the enrollee, the state shall annually
138138 contribute to a high deductible health plan provided under this
139139 subchapter the amount that is necessary to pay the cost of coverage
140140 under the high deductible health plan and does not exceed the amount
141141 the state annually contributes for a full-time or part-time
142142 employee, as applicable, who is covered by the basic coverage.
143143 (b) For each plan enrollee's dependent covered under this
144144 subchapter from the state contribution that would otherwise be made
145145 for basic coverage for the dependent, the state shall annually
146146 contribute to a high deductible health plan provided under this
147147 subchapter the same percentage of the cost of coverage under the
148148 high deductible health plan as the state annually contributes for
149149 dependent coverage in the basic coverage.
150150 (c) Before each plan year, the board may determine how to
151151 allocate to an enrollee's health savings account the portion, if
152152 any, of the state contribution that would otherwise be made for
153153 basic coverage for the enrollee and that remains after payment for
154154 coverage under Subsection (a) or (b).
155155 (d) For a calendar year, the amount of any allocations made
156156 under Subsection (c) and Section 1551.456(c)(2), in the aggregate,
157157 may not exceed the sum of the monthly limitations imposed by federal
158158 law for health savings accounts.
159159 Sec. 1551.459. PLAN ENROLLEE CONTRIBUTIONS. (a) Each plan
160160 enrollee, in accordance with Section 1551.305, shall contribute any
161161 amount required to cover the selected participation in the state
162162 consumer-directed health plan that exceeds the state contribution
163163 amount under Section 1551.458.
164164 (b) A plan enrollee may contribute any amount allowed under
165165 federal law to the enrollee's health savings account in addition to
166166 receiving an allocation of the state contribution under Section
167167 1551.458.
168168 (c) A plan enrollee shall make contributions under this
169169 section in the manner prescribed by the board of trustees.
170170 Sec. 1551.460. COORDINATION WITH CAFETERIA PLAN. (a) The
171171 board of trustees has exclusive authority to determine the
172172 eligibility of a plan enrollee to participate in any medical
173173 flexible savings account that is part of a cafeteria plan offered
174174 under this chapter.
175175 (b) The board of trustees shall adopt rules regarding:
176176 (1) the eligibility of a plan enrollee to participate
177177 in any medical flexible savings account that is part of a cafeteria
178178 plan offered under this chapter; and
179179 (2) the coordination of benefits provided under this
180180 subchapter and any medical flexible savings account that is part of
181181 a cafeteria plan offered under this chapter.
182182 (c) The rules adopted by the board of trustees under
183183 Subsection (b) must prohibit a plan enrollee from participating in
184184 any medical flexible savings account that would disqualify the
185185 enrollee's health savings account from favorable tax treatment
186186 under federal law.
187187 Sec. 1551.461. CONFIDENTIALITY OF RECORDS. To the extent
188188 allowed under federal law and subject to Section 1551.063, the
189189 board of trustees or the account administrator, as applicable, may
190190 disclose to a carrier information in an individual's records that
191191 the board of trustees or administrator determines is necessary to
192192 administer the state consumer-directed health plan.
193193 Sec. 1551.462. EXEMPTION FROM EXECUTION; UNASSIGNABILITY.
194194 A state contribution to a health savings account or a high
195195 deductible health plan is exempt from execution and is unassignable
196196 in the same manner and to the same extent as is an amount described
197197 by Section 1551.011.
198198 Sec. 1551.463. ASSISTANCE. Any state agency that the board
199199 of trustees considers appropriate shall assist the board in
200200 implementing and administering this subchapter.
201201 SECTION 2. The Employees Retirement System of Texas shall
202202 develop the state consumer-directed health plan to be implemented
203203 under Chapter 1551, Insurance Code, as amended by this Act,
204204 including enrollment requirements, during the state fiscal
205205 biennium beginning September 1, 2011, with coverage beginning
206206 September 1, 2012.
207207 SECTION 3. Not later than July 31, 2012, the Employees
208208 Retirement System of Texas shall provide written information to
209209 individuals eligible to participate in the state consumer-directed
210210 health plan under Chapter 1551, Insurance Code, as amended by this
211211 Act, that provides a general description of the requirements for
212212 the plan as adopted under Chapter 1551, Insurance Code, as amended
213213 by this Act.
214214 SECTION 4. The Employees Retirement System of Texas shall
215215 develop and implement the health savings account program under
216216 Chapter 1551, Insurance Code, as amended by this Act, in a manner
217217 that is as revenue neutral as is possible.
218218 SECTION 5. (a) Not later than January 1, 2017, the board of
219219 trustees of the Employees Retirement System of Texas shall submit a
220220 report to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house
221221 of representatives, and Legislative Budget Board concerning:
222222 (1) the manner in which, and the level at which, plan
223223 enrollees use the coverage provided under the state
224224 consumer-directed health plan established under Subchapter J,
225225 Chapter 1551, Insurance Code, as added by this Act;
226226 (2) whether the coverage provided under the state
227227 consumer-directed health plan established under Subchapter J,
228228 Chapter 1551, Insurance Code, as added by this Act, is more or less
229229 cost-effective for plan enrollees and the state than the coverage
230230 provided under the basic coverage plan under Chapter 1551,
231231 Insurance Code; and
232232 (3) whether continuation of the state
233233 consumer-directed health plan established under Subchapter J,
234234 Chapter 1551, Insurance Code, as added by this Act, is feasible or
235235 desirable.
236236 (b) The report required by this section may be submitted
237237 separately from, or included in, the annual report that is required
238238 under Section 1551.061, Insurance Code, and is submitted closest to
239239 January 1, 2017.
240240 SECTION 6. Except as otherwise provided by this Act, this
241241 Act takes effect September 1, 2011.