06 LC 37
0008
Senate
Bill 411
By:
Senators Tate of the 38th, Brown of the 26th, Meyer von Bremen of the 12th,
Stoner of the 6th, Jones of the 10th and others
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To
amend Article 1 of Chapter 18 of Title 45 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, relating to the state
employeeś
health insurance plan, so as to create a joint committee of the General Assembly
to be known as the Joint Committee to Study the State Health Care Benefit Plan;
to provide for membership; to provide for quarterly meetings; to provide for a
series of public meetings across the state; to provide for the Governor and the
Department of Community Health to contract for a state-by-state survey and
analysis of state health care plans; to provide for automatic repeal; to create
a State Health Benefit Plan Advisory Committee; to provide for an effective
date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Article
1 of Chapter 18 of Title 45 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
to the state
employeeś
health insurance plan, is amended by adding new Code sections to read as
follows:
∀45-18-19.1.
(a)
There is created as a joint committee of the General Assembly the Joint
Committee to Study the State Health Care Benefit Plan. The members shall be
named by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore
of the Senate, the Governor, the Georgia Association of Educators, the Georgia
Association of Educational Leaders, the Georgia Retired Educators Association,
the Georgia School Board Association, the Georgia School Superintendents
Association, and the Professional Association of Georgia Educators. The members
of the committee shall be appointed no later than May 1, 2006.
(b)
The committee shall meet quarterly through 2006 and issue a final report no
later than December 31, 2006, with findings and recommendations to be acted
upon during the 2007 session of the General Assembly.
(c)
The committee shall hold a series of public meetings across the state to hear
from citizens, providers, and others on their views of the status of the current
plan and their suggestions for plan improvements with regard to access, quality
of service, and plan costs.
(d)
The Governor and the Department of Community Health will contract with a Georgia
school of public policy for a state-by-state survey and analysis of innovative
state health care plans across the nation with emphasis on cost, access, and
quality. This study will be conducted during 2006 and the school will make
quarterly reports and presentations of its findings at each of the committee
meetings. A final report with summary recommendations will be made by the
school to the Governor and the legislature no later than December 31,
2006.
(e)
The committee shall stand abolished and this Code section shall be automatically
repealed on December 31, 2006.
45-18-20.
(a)
There is created and established a State Health Benefit Plan Advisory Committee
composed of 15 members to be appointed as follows:
(1)
Five members shall be appointed by the Governor;
(2)
Five members shall be appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate;
and
(3)
Five members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives.
(b)
The members of the committee shall be educators and state employees who are
covered by the plan. All vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term by
the original appointing official. Members shall serve for terms of four years
and shall be eligible for successive appointments by an appointing official.
The committee shall meet quarterly.
(c)
The members of the committee shall serve without compensation.
(d)
The committee shall be involved in all state health benefit plan policy-making
activities, including, but not limited to, plan administration, plan design,
plan changes, qualitative reviews of plan service, scope of services, and
networks.
(e)
The committee shall first recommend plan changes to the Governor and the
legislature and the Department of Community Health no later than December 31,
2006, and no later than December 31 annually
thereafter.∀
SECTION
2.
This
Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its
becoming law without such approval.
SECTION
3.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.