AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Interested parties assert that when an individual joins a group benefits program under the Texas Employees Group Benefits Act, certain dependents who may have been eligible for coverage under another group benefits program or private insurance plan may be ineligible for coverage under the state employees group benefits plan.

 

H.B. 2155 amends current law relating to eligibility of certain dependents for coverage under the state employee group benefits program.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Amends Section 1551.004(a), Insurance Code, as follows:

 

(a) Redefines, in this chapter, "dependent" with respect to an individual eligible to participate in the group benefits program to mean the individual's:

 

(1)  spouse;

 

(2)  unmarried child younger than 26 years of age;

 

(3)  child of any age who the board of trustees of the Employees Retirement System of Texas determines lives with or has the child's care provided by the individual on a regular basis if the child is mentally or physically incapacitated to the extent that the child is dependent on the individual for care or support, as determined by the board of trustees;

 

(4)  child of any age who is unmarried, for purposes of health benefit coverage under this chapter, on expiration of the child's continuation coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (Pub. L. No. 99-272) and its subsequent amendments; and

 

(5)  ward, as that term is defined by Section 601 (Definitions), Texas Probate Code, who is 26 years of age or younger.

 

Deletes existing text defining, in this chapter, "dependent" with respect to an individual eligible to participate in the group benefits program, to mean the individual's child of any age who the board of trustees of the Employees Retirement System of Texas determines lives with or has the child's care provided by the individual on a regular basis if the child's coverage under this chapter has not lapsed, and the child is at least 26 years old and was enrolled as a participant in the health benefits coverage under the group benefits program on the date of the child's 26th birthday, or on the date the individual became eligible to participate in the group benefits program, was enrolled as the individual's dependent in health benefits coverage under Chapter 1575 (Texas Public School Employees Group Benefits Program), 1579 (Texas School Employees Uniform Group Health Coverage), or 1601 (Uniform Insurance Benefits Act for Employees of the University of Texas System and the Texas A&M University System) or in continuation of that dependent coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (Pub. L. No. 99-272) and its subsequent amendments.

 

SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2013.