06
SB236/AP
Senate
Bill 236
By:
Senators Hudgens of the 47th and Brown of the 26th
AS
PASSED
AN
ACT
To
amend Code Section 45-18-9 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
to the right of continuation of health coverage for a spouse or dependent of a
deceased public employee, right to resumption of coverage, payment of
contributions, and promulgation of rules and regulations as to continuance,
discontinuance, and resumption of coverage, so as to provide that the surviving
spouse and dependents of a state employee killed while acting in the scope of
his or her employment shall be entitled to continue coverage under the state
health insurance plan under certain conditions; to provide that any person so
eligible to continue such coverage shall pay the same premium as an active state
employee; to provide for rules and regulations; to amend Code Section 45-18-54
of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to continuation of optional
employee benefit plans and approval of optional plans or contracting with new or
additional insurers, so as to provide that any department, agency, authority,
county department of health, or local board of education may receive an
administrative fee or service fee for certain services; to repeal conflicting
laws; and for other purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Code
Section 45-18-9 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the right
of continuation of health coverage for a spouse or dependent of a deceased
public employee, right to resumption of coverage, payment of contributions, and
promulgation of rules and regulations as to continuance, discontinuance, and
resumption of coverage, is amended by striking in its entirety subsection (e)
and inserting in lieu thereof the following:
"(e)
If any employee of this state, regardless of his or her time in service, is
killed while acting within the scope of his or her employment or receives bodily
injury while acting within the scope of his or her employment that directly
results in death thereafter, any spouse or dependent child or children included
in the coverage of the contract or contracts for health insurance as provided in
this article at the time of the
employeés
death who are not otherwise eligible under subsection (a) of this Code section
may be entitled to continue such coverage upon agreeing to pay contributions at
the same rate as required for state employees and in compliance with the rules
and regulations governing such coverage. The board may adopt rules and
regulations governing the continuance, discontinuance, and resumption of
coverage by any such spouse or dependent child or
children."
SECTION
2.
Code
Section 45-18-54 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
continuation of optional employee benefit plans and approval of optional plans
or contracting with new or additional insurers, is amended by inserting at the
end thereof the following:
"(d)
Nothing in this Code section shall preclude any department, agency, authority,
county department of health, or local board of education from receiving an
administrative or service fee from any corporation licensed to transact business
in this state as reimbursement for the time and expense of administering any
optional employee benefit plan which was in operation on January 1,
1986."
SECTION
3.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.