BP BHEAD INT S

AN ACT Relating to health care authority contracts with school districts; amending RCW 28A.400.350; and adding a new section to chapter 28A.400 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 28A.400.350 and 1993 c 492 s 226 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The board of directors of any of the state's school districts may make available liability, life, health, health care, accident, disability and salary protection or insurance or any one of, or a combination of the enumerated types of insurance, or any other type of insurance or protection, for the members of the boards of directors, the students, and employees of the school district, and their dependents. Such coverage may be provided by contracts with private carriers, with the state health care authority after July 1, 1990, pursuant to the approval of the authority administrator, or through self-insurance or self-funding pursuant to chapter 48.62 RCW, or in any other manner authorized by law. Except for health benefits purchased with nonstate funds as provided in RCW 28A.400.200, effective on and after ((~~October 1, 1995~~)) January 1, 1996, health care coverage, ((~~life insurance, liability insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, and disability income insurance~~)) not including dental benefits, shall be provided only by contracts with the state health care authority.

(2) Whenever funds are available for these purposes the board of directors of the school district may contribute all or a part of the cost of such protection or insurance for the employees of their respective school districts and their dependents. The premiums on such liability insurance shall be borne by the school district.

After October 1, 1990, school districts may not contribute to any employee protection or insurance other than liability insurance unless the district's employee benefit plan conforms to RCW 28A.400.275 and 28A.400.280.

(3) For school board members and students, the premiums due on such protection or insurance shall be borne by the assenting school board member or student. The school district may contribute all or part of the costs, including the premiums, of life, health, health care, accident or disability insurance which shall be offered to all students participating in interschool activities on the behalf of or as representative of their school or school district. The school district board of directors may require any student participating in extracurricular interschool activities to, as a condition of participation, document evidence of insurance or purchase insurance that will provide adequate coverage, as determined by the school district board of directors, for medical expenses incurred as a result of injury sustained while participating in the extracurricular activity. In establishing such a requirement, the district shall adopt regulations for waiving or reducing the premiums of such coverage as may be offered through the school district to students participating in extracurricular activities, for those students whose families, by reason of their low income, would have difficulty paying the entire amount of such insurance premiums. The district board shall adopt regulations for waiving or reducing the insurance coverage requirements for low-income students in order to assure such students are not prohibited from participating in extracurricular interschool activities.

(4) All contracts for insurance or protection written to take advantage of the provisions of this section shall provide that the beneficiaries of such contracts may utilize on an equal participation basis the services of those practitioners licensed pursuant to chapters 18.22, 18.25, 18.53, 18.57, and 18.71 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.400 RCW to read as follows:

(1) In a manner prescribed by the state health care authority, school districts and educational service districts shall remit to the health care authority for deposit in the public employees' and retirees' insurance account established in RCW 41.05.120:

(a) For each full-time employee of the district, an amount equal to four and seven-tenths percent multiplied by the insurance benefit allocation rate in the appropriations act for a certificated or classified staff, for each month of the school year;

(b) For each part-time employee of the district who, at the time of the remittance, is employed in an eligible position as defined in RCW 41.32.010 or 41.40.010 and is eligible for employer fringe benefit contributions for basic benefits as defined in RCW 28A.400.270, an amount equal to four and seven-tenths percent multiplied by the insurance benefit allocation rate in the appropriations act for a certificated or classified staff, for each month of the school year, prorated by the proportion of employer fringe benefit contributions for a full-time employee that the part-time employee receives.

(2) The remittance requirements specified in RCW 28A.400.350 shall not apply to employees of a school district or educational service district who receive insurance benefits through contracts with the health care authority as provided by RCW 28A.400.350.

(3) The legislature reserves the right to increase or decrease the percent or amount required to be remitted in this section.