HOUSE BILL No. 4689

 

May 1, 2007, Introduced by Reps. Acciavatti and Palmer and referred to the Committee on Education.

 

     A bill to amend 1980 PA 300, entitled

 

"The public school employees retirement act of 1979,"

 

by amending section 91 (MCL 38.1391), as amended by 2006 PA 617.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 91. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the

 

retirement system shall pay the entire monthly premium or

 

membership or subscription fee for hospital, medical-surgical, and

 

sick care benefits for the benefit of a retirant or retirement

 

allowance beneficiary who elects coverage in the plan authorized by

 

the retirement board and the department. Upon the death of the

 

retirant, a retirement allowance beneficiary who became a

 

retirement allowance beneficiary under section 85(8) or (9) is not

 

a health insurance dependent and is not entitled to health benefits

 

under this section except as provided in subsection (10).


 

     (2) The retirement system may pay up to the maximum of the

 

amount payable under subsection (1) toward the monthly premium for

 

hospital, medical-surgical, and sick care benefits for the benefit

 

of a retirant or retirement allowance beneficiary enrolled in a

 

group health insurance or prepaid service plan not authorized by

 

the retirement board and the department, if enrolled before June 1,

 

1975, for whom the retirement system on July 18, 1983 was making a

 

payment towards his or her monthly premium.

 

     (3) A retirant or retirement allowance beneficiary receiving

 

hospital, medical-surgical, and sick care benefits coverage under

 

subsection (1) or (2), until eligible for medicare, shall have an

 

amount equal to the cost chargeable to a medicare recipient for

 

part B of medicare deducted from his or her retirement allowance.

 

     (4) The retirement system shall pay 90% of the monthly premium

 

or membership or subscription fee for dental, vision, and hearing

 

benefits for the benefit of a retirant or retirement allowance

 

beneficiary who elects coverage in the plan authorized by the

 

retirement board and the department. Payments shall begin under

 

this subsection upon approval by the retirement board and the

 

department of plan coverage and a plan provider.

 

     (5) The retirement system shall pay up to 90% of the maximum

 

of the amount payable under subsection (1) toward the monthly

 

premium or membership or subscription fee for hospital, medical-

 

surgical, and sick care benefits coverage described in subsections

 

(1) and (2) for each health insurance dependent of a retirant

 

receiving benefits under subsection (1) or (2). Payment shall not

 

exceed 90% of the actual monthly premium or membership or


 

subscription fee. The retirement system shall pay 90% of the

 

monthly premium or membership or subscription fee for dental,

 

vision, and hearing benefits described in subsection (4) for the

 

benefit of each health insurance dependent of a retirant receiving

 

benefits under subsection (4). Payment for health benefits coverage

 

for a health insurance dependent of a retirant shall not be made

 

after the retirant's death, unless the retirant designated a

 

retirement allowance beneficiary as provided in section 85 and the

 

dependent was covered or eligible for coverage as a health

 

insurance dependent of the retirant on the retirant's date of

 

death. Payment for health benefits coverage shall not be made for a

 

health insurance dependent after the later of the retirant's death

 

or the retirement allowance beneficiary's death. Payment under this

 

subsection and subsection (6) began October 1, 1985 for health

 

insurance dependents who on July 10, 1985 were covered by the

 

hospital, medical-surgical, and sick care benefits plan authorized

 

by the retirement board and the department. Payment under this

 

subsection and subsection (6) for other health insurance dependents

 

shall not begin before January 1, 1986.

 

     (6) The payment described in subsection (5) shall also be made

 

for each health insurance dependent of a deceased member or

 

deceased duty disability retirant if a retirement allowance is

 

being paid to a retirement allowance beneficiary because of the

 

death of the member or duty disability retirant as provided in

 

section 43c(c), 89, or 90. Payment for health benefits coverage for

 

a health insurance dependent shall not be made after the retirement

 

allowance beneficiary's death.


 

     (7) The payments provided by this section shall not be made on

 

behalf of a retiring section 82 deferred member or health insurance

 

dependent of a deferred member having less than 21 full years of

 

attained credited service or the retiring deferred member's

 

retirement allowance beneficiary, and shall not be made on behalf

 

of a retirement allowance beneficiary of a deferred member who dies

 

before retiring. The Except as otherwise provided in subsection

 

(10), the retirement system shall pay, on behalf of a retiring

 

section 82 deferred member or health insurance dependent of a

 

deferred member or a retirement allowance beneficiary of a deceased

 

deferred member, either of whose allowance is based upon not less

 

than 21 years of attained credited service, 10% of the payments

 

provided by this section, increased by 10% for each attained full

 

year of credited service beyond 21 years, not to exceed 100%. This

 

subsection applies to any member who attains deferred status under

 

section 82 after October 31, 1980.

 

     (8) Any retirant or retirement allowance beneficiary excluded

 

from payments under this section may participate in the hospital,

 

medical-surgical, and sick care benefits plan, the dental plan,

 

vision plan, or hearing plan, or any combination of the plans

 

described in this section in the manner prescribed by the

 

retirement system at his or her own cost.

 

     (9) The hospital, medical-surgical, and sick care benefits

 

plan, dental plan, vision plan, and hearing plan that covers

 

retirants, retirement allowance beneficiaries, and health insurance

 

dependents pursuant to this section shall contain a coordination of

 

benefits provision that provides all of the following:


 

     (a) If the person covered under the hospital, medical-

 

surgical, and sick care benefits plan is also eligible for medicare

 

or medicaid, or both, then the benefits under medicare or medicaid,

 

or both, shall be determined before the benefits of the hospital,

 

medical-surgical, and sick care benefits plan provided pursuant to

 

this section.

 

     (b) If the person covered under any of the plans provided by

 

this section is also covered under another plan that contains a

 

coordination of benefits provision, the benefits shall be

 

coordinated as provided by the coordination of benefits act, 1984

 

PA 64, MCL 550.251 to 550.255.

 

     (c) If the person covered under any of the plans provided by

 

this section is also covered under another plan that does not

 

contain a coordination of benefits provision, the benefits under

 

the other plan shall be determined before the benefits of the plan

 

provided pursuant to this section.

 

     (10) This subsection only applies to a retirant who elects to

 

purchase service credit on or after July 1, 2007. A retirant who

 

elects to purchase service credit after July 1, 2007 shall have his

 

or her benefits under this section determined by the retirement

 

system in the manner prescribed in this subsection. The retirement

 

system shall first determine whether the purchase of service credit

 

allowed the retirant to retire earlier than the retirant would have

 

retired without the purchase of service credit. The retirement

 

system shall then determine the difference between the retirant's

 

effective date and the effective date that the retirant would have

 

retired if the retirant had not purchased the service credit. The


 

retirant who is subject to this subsection shall not be eligible

 

for health care benefits under this section until the effective

 

date that the retirant would have retired if the retirant had not

 

purchased the service credit.

 

     (11) (10) A surviving spouse selected as a retirement

 

allowance beneficiary under section 85(8) or (9) may elect the

 

insurance coverages provided in this section provided that payment

 

for the elected coverages is the responsibility of the surviving

 

spouse and is paid in a manner prescribed by the retirement system.

 

     (12) (11) For purposes of this section:

 

     (a) "Health insurance dependent" means any of the following:

 

     (i) Except as provided in subsection (1), the spouse of the

 

retirant or the surviving spouse to whom the retirant or deceased

 

member was married at the time of the retirant's or deceased

 

member's death.

 

     (ii) An unmarried child, by birth or adoption, of the retirant

 

or deceased member, until December 31 of the calendar year in which

 

the child becomes 19 years of age.

 

     (iii) An unmarried child, by birth or adoption, of the retirant

 

or deceased member, until December 31 of the calendar year in which

 

the child becomes 25 years of age, who is enrolled as a full-time

 

student, and who is or was at the time of the retirant's or

 

deceased member's death a dependent of the retirant or deceased

 

member as defined in section 152 of the internal revenue code.

 

     (iv) An unmarried child, by birth or adoption, of the retirant

 

or deceased member who is incapable of self-sustaining employment

 

because of mental or physical disability, and who is or was at the


 

time of the retirant's or deceased member's death a dependent of

 

the retirant or deceased member as defined in section 152 of the

 

internal revenue code.

 

     (v) The parents of the retirant or deceased member, or the

 

parents of his or her spouse, who are residing in the household of

 

the retirant or retirement allowance beneficiary.

 

     (vi) An unmarried child who is not the child by birth or

 

adoption of the retirant or deceased member but who otherwise

 

qualifies to be a health insurance dependent under subparagraph

 

(ii), (iii), or (iv), if the retirant or deceased member is the legal

 

guardian of the unmarried child.

 

     (b) "Medicaid" means benefits under the federal medicaid

 

program established under title XIX of the social security act,

 

chapter 531, 49 Stat. 620, 42 USC 1396 to 1396f, 1396g-1 to 1396r-

 

6, and 1396r-8 to 1396v.

 

     (c) "Medicare" means benefits under the federal medicare

 

program established under title XVIII of the social security act,

 

chapter 531, 49 Stat. 620, 42 USC 1395 to 1395b, 1395b-2, 1395b-6

 

to 1395b-7, 1395c to 1395i, 1395i-2 to 1395i-5, 1395j to 1395t,

 

1395u to 1395w, 1395w-2 to 1395w-4, 1395w-21 to 1395w-28, 1395x to

 

1395yy, and 1395bbb to 1395ggg.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect January

 

1, 2009.

 

     Enacting section 2. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 4107(request no.

 

00300'07) of the 94th Legislature is enacted into law.