Washington State Statutes - Washington Attorney Directory

(1) Every department, division, or separate agency of state government, and such county, municipal, school district, educational service district, or other political subdivisions as are covered by this chapter, shall provide contributions to insurance and health care plans for its employees and their dependents, the content of such plans to be determined by the authority. Contributions, paid by the county, the municipality, or other political subdivision for their employees, shall include an amount determined by the authority to pay such administrative expenses of the authority as are necessary to administer the plans for employees of those groups, except as provided in subsection (4) of this section.

     (2) If the authority at any time determines that the participation of a county, municipal, or other political subdivision covered under this chapter adversely impacts insurance rates for state employees, the authority shall implement limitations on the participation of additional county, municipal, or other political subdivisions.

     (3) The contributions of any department, division, or separate agency of the state government, and such county, municipal, or other political subdivisions as are covered by this chapter, shall be set by the authority, subject to the approval of the governor for availability of funds as specifically appropriated by the legislature for that purpose. Insurance and health care contributions for ferry employees shall be governed by RCW 47.64.270.

     (4)(a) Beginning September 1, 2003, the authority shall collect from each participating school district and educational service district an amount equal to the composite rate charged to state agencies, plus an amount equal to the employee premiums by plan and family size as would be charged to state employees, for groups of district employees enrolled in authority plans as of January 1, 2003. However, during the 2005-07 fiscal biennium, the authority shall collect from each participating school district and educational service district an amount equal to the insurance benefit allocations provided in section 504, chapter 518, Laws of 2005, plus any additional funding provided by the legislature for school employee health benefits, plus an amount equal to the employee premiums by plan and family size as would be charged to state employees, for groups of district employees enrolled in authority plans as of July 1, 2005.

     (b) For all groups of district employees enrolling in authority plans for the first time after September 1, 2003, the authority shall collect from each participating school district an amount equal to the composite rate charged to state agencies, plus an amount equal to the employee premiums by plan and by family size as would be charged to state employees, only if the authority determines that this method of billing the districts will not result in a material difference between revenues from districts and expenditures made by the authority on behalf of districts and their employees.

     (c) If the authority determines at any time that the conditions in (b) of this subsection cannot be met, the authority shall offer enrollment to additional groups of district employees on a tiered rate structure until such time as the authority determines there would be no material difference between revenues and expenditures under a composite rate structure for all district employees enrolled in authority plans.

     (d) The authority may charge districts a one-time set-up fee for employee groups enrolling in authority plans for the first time.

     (e) For the purposes of this subsection:

     (i) "District" means school district and educational service district; and

     (ii) "Tiered rates" means the amounts the authority must pay to insuring entities by plan and by family size.

     (f) Notwithstanding this subsection and RCW 41.05.065(3), the authority may allow districts enrolled on a tiered rate structure prior to September 1, 2002, to continue participation based on the same rate structure and under the same conditions and eligibility criteria.

     (5) The authority shall transmit a recommendation for the amount of the employer contribution to the governor and the director of financial management for inclusion in the proposed budgets submitted to the legislature.

[2005 c 518 § 919; 2003 c 158 § 1. Prior: 2002 c 319 § 4; 2002 c 142 § 2; prior: 1995 1st sp.s. c 6 § 22; 1994 c 309 § 2; 1994 c 153 § 4; prior: 1993 c 492 § 216; 1993 c 386 § 7; 1988 c 107 § 18; 1987 c 122 § 4; 1984 c 107 § 1; 1983 c 15 § 20; 1983 c 2 § 9; prior: 1982 1st ex.s. c 34 § 2; 1981 c 344 § 6; 1979 c 151 § 55; 1977 ex.s. c 136 § 4; 1975-'76 2nd ex.s. c 106 § 4; 1975 1st ex.s. c 38 § 2; 1973 1st ex.s. c 147 § 3; 1970 ex.s. c 39 § 5.]

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