| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to a study by the Teacher Retirement System of Texas |
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| 8 | 8 | | regarding the use of health reimbursement accounts in conjunction |
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| 9 | 9 | | with certain Medicare plans to provide health benefit coverage for |
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| 10 | 10 | | certain retired school employees. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. STUDY. (a) The Teacher Retirement System of |
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| 13 | 13 | | Texas shall conduct a study to evaluate the use of health |
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| 14 | 14 | | reimbursement accounts in conjunction with Medicare plans |
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| 15 | 15 | | available through the individual marketplace as a means to provide |
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| 16 | 16 | | health benefit coverage under Chapter 1575, Insurance Code, for |
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| 17 | 17 | | Medicare-eligible retired school employees and their spouses. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (b) The evaluation must consider: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (1) the affordability and availability of Medicare |
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| 20 | 20 | | plans available through the individual marketplace to |
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| 21 | 21 | | Medicare-eligible retirees and their spouses in the 2018-2019 |
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| 22 | 22 | | biennium compared to health benefit plans available to those |
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| 23 | 23 | | retirees and their spouses under Chapter 1575, Insurance Code; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2) provider availability under Medicare plans |
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| 25 | 25 | | available through the individual marketplace; and |
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| 26 | 26 | | (3) any other items the Teacher Retirement System of |
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| 27 | 27 | | Texas determines are relevant to the system's long-term ability to |
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| 28 | 28 | | provide health benefits to Medicare-eligible retirees and their |
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| 29 | 29 | | spouses considering the demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic |
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| 30 | 30 | | characteristics of the Medicare-eligible retirees and spouses |
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| 31 | 31 | | participating in the group program under Chapter 1575, Insurance |
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| 32 | 32 | | Code. |
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| 33 | 33 | | SECTION 2. REPORT. Not later than January 1, 2020, the |
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| 34 | 34 | | Teacher Retirement System of Texas shall submit to the governor, |
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| 35 | 35 | | lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and |
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| 36 | 36 | | Legislative Budget Board a written report of the study conducted |
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| 37 | 37 | | under Section 1 of this Act. The report must include the findings |
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| 38 | 38 | | and legislative recommendations of the Teacher Retirement System of |
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| 39 | 39 | | Texas. |
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| 40 | 40 | | SECTION 3. EXPIRATION DATE. This Act expires January 1, |
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| 41 | 41 | | 2021. |
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| 42 | 42 | | SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect |
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| 43 | 43 | | immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members |
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| 44 | 44 | | elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas |
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| 45 | 45 | | Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for |
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| 46 | 46 | | immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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