Signed by Governor Chris Gregoire

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that amends health care benefits for public school employees.

Highlights:

• Requires the following conditions to be met when school districts offer employer contributions for optional benefit plans (Sec. 2):
• Employees are paying a minimum premium charge on their medical coverage;
• The richer the benefits an employee receives, the higher the premium they pay.

• Requires school districts that offer employees medical, vision, and dental benefits to (Sec. 3):
• Offer a high deductible health plan option with a health savings account;
• “Make progress” to ensure that full family coverage premium options are not more than three times the single coverage premium options;
• Offer at least one health benefit plan that is not a high deductible health plan offered in conjunction with a health safety account in which the employee's share of the premium cost does not exceed the share of the premium cost paid by state employees.

• Requires school districts and benefit providers to annually comply with data reporting requirements, which are submitted to the State's insurance commissioner (Sec. 4).

• Prohibits individual and joint local government self-insured health and welfare benefits programs that do not comply with the data reporting requirements from operating within the State (Sec. 9).

• Requires the following conditions to be met when school districts offer employer contributions for optional benefit plans (Sec. 2):
• Employees are paying a minimum premium charge on their medical coverage; and
• The richer the benefits an employee receives, the higher premium he or she must pay.

• Requires school districts that offer employees medical, vision, and dental benefits to do the following (Sec. 3):
• Offer a high deductible health plan option with a health savings account;
• “Make progress” to ensure that full family coverage premium options are not more than 3 times the single coverage premium options;
• Offer at least 1 health benefit plan that is not a high deductible health plan offered in conjunction with a health safety account, in which the employee's share of the premium cost does not exceed the share of the premium cost paid by state employees.

• Requires school districts and benefit providers to annually comply with data reporting requirements, which are submitted to the State's insurance commissioner (Sec. 4).

• Prohibits individual and joint local government self-insured health and welfare benefits programs that do not comply with the data reporting requirements from operating within the State (Sec. 9).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that amends health care benefits for public school employees.

Highlights:

• Requires the following conditions to be met when school districts offer employer contributions for optional benefit plans (Sec. 2):
• Employees are paying a minimum premium charge on their medical coverage;
• The richer the benefits an employee receives, the higher the premium they pay.

• Requires school districts that offer employees medical, vision, and dental benefits to (Sec. 3):
• Offer a high deductible health plan option with a health savings account;
• “Make progress” to ensure that full family coverage premium options are not more than three times the single coverage premium options;
• Offer at least one health benefit plan that is not a high deductible health plan offered in conjunction with a health safety account in which the employee's share of the premium cost does not exceed the share of the premium cost paid by state employees.

• Requires school districts and benefit providers to annually comply with data reporting requirements, which are submitted to the State's insurance commissioner (Sec. 4).

• Prohibits individual and joint local government self-insured health and welfare benefits programs that do not comply with the data reporting requirements from operating within the State (Sec. 9).

• Requires the following conditions to be met when school districts offer employer contributions for optional benefit plans (Sec. 2):
• Employees are paying a minimum premium charge on their medical coverage; and
• The richer the benefits an employee receives, the higher premium he or she must pay.

• Requires school districts that offer employees medical, vision, and dental benefits to do the following (Sec. 3):
• Offer a high deductible health plan option with a health savings account;
• “Make progress” to ensure that full family coverage premium options are not more than 3 times the single coverage premium options;
• Offer at least 1 health benefit plan that is not a high deductible health plan offered in conjunction with a health safety account, in which the employee's share of the premium cost does not exceed the share of the premium cost paid by state employees.

• Requires school districts and benefit providers to annually comply with data reporting requirements, which are submitted to the State's insurance commissioner (Sec. 4).

• Prohibits individual and joint local government self-insured health and welfare benefits programs that do not comply with the data reporting requirements from operating within the State (Sec. 9).

Full Bill Text