Texas House Bill HB2417

Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Caption

Relating to certain contributions for health benefit plan coverage under the Texas Public School Retired Employees Group Benefits Act.

Impact

This bill aims to synchronize the adjustments made in health benefit payments with the adjustments to annuity distributions for retired public school employees. The intention behind such amendments is to create a more balanced and equitable approach in providing health benefits to retired educators, ensuring that any increases in costs or contributions to health plans are reflective of the changes made to their annuities.

Summary

House Bill 2417 focuses on the contributions toward health benefit plan coverage as defined under the Texas Public School Retired Employees Group Benefits Act. The primary amendment made by this bill involves stipulations around the trustee’s authority in adjusting payments related to health benefits. Specifically, it introduces a condition that payments under the existing framework cannot be increased in a biennium where the Legislature does not also increase annuities pursuant to the relevant statutes governing retiree benefits.

Contention

Notable points of contention surrounding HB2417 might include concerns from retired public employees who may feel that tying health benefit contributions exclusively to annuity increases could limit their access to necessary healthcare resources. There is a possibility that this could create disparities depending on legislative decisions regarding annuity adjustments, which might affect overall health care affordability for these retirees. Stakeholders have suggested that additional measures should be considered to ensure that health benefits for retired employees keep pace with rising healthcare costs independently from annuity changes.