Iowa SF 565: A bill for an act providing for the continuation of health insurance in certain circumstances for the surviving spouse and each surviving child of employees of the state of Iowa and including retroactive applicability provisions.

Bill Text

Senate
File
565
-
Enrolled

Senate
File
565

AN
ACT

PROVIDING
FOR
THE
CONTINUATION
OF
HEALTH
INSURANCE
IN
CERTAIN

CIRCUMSTANCES
FOR
THE
SURVIVING
SPOUSE
AND
EACH
SURVIVING

CHILD
OF
EMPLOYEES
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA
AND
INCLUDING

RETROACTIVE
APPLICABILITY
PROVISIONS.

BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:

Section
1.
NEW
SECTION

.
509A.13E
Health
insurance
coverage

——
surviving
spouse
and
children
of
employees
of
the
state
of

Iowa.

1.
For
the
purposes
of
this
section,
“eligible
employee

of
the
state
of
Iowa”
means
an
employee
of
the
state
of

Iowa,
including
but
not
limited
to
any
department,
agency,

board,
bureau,
or
commission
of
the
state
of
Iowa,
who
is

participating
in
a
state
health
or
medical
group
insurance
plan

under
chapter
509A
which
covers
the
employee
at
the
time
of

death
of
the
employee
and
whose
death
has
been
determined
by

the
department
of
administrative
services
to
be
the
direct
and

proximate
result
of
a
traumatic
personal
injury
incurred
in
the

performance
of
the
employee’s
work
duties,
and
to
whom
none
of

the
following
applies:

a.
The
employee’s
death
resulted
from
stress,
strain,

occupational
illness,
or
a
chronic,
progressive,
or
congenital

illness,
including
but
not
limited
to
a
disease
of
the
heart,

lungs,
or
respiratory
system,
unless
the
traumatic
personal

injury
was
a
substantial
contributing
factor
to
the
employee’s

death.

Senate
File
565,
p.
2

b.
The
employee’s
death
was
caused
by
the
employee’s

intentional
misconduct,
or
by
the
employee’s
intent
to
cause

the
employee’s
own
death.

c.
The
employee
was
voluntarily
intoxicated
at
the
time
of

the
employee’s
death.

d.
The
employee
was
performing
the
employee’s
duties
in
a

grossly
negligent
manner
at
the
time
of
the
employee’s
death.

2.
a.
The
governing
body
of
the
state
shall
permit

continuation
of
existing
health
insurance
coverage
or

reenrollment
in
previously
existing
coverage
for
the
surviving

spouse
and
each
surviving
child
of
an
eligible
employee
of
the

state
of
Iowa.

b.
The
governing
body
of
the
state
shall
permit
continuation

of
existing
health
insurance
coverage
for
the
surviving
spouse

and
each
surviving
child
of
an
employee
of
the
state
of
Iowa

who
dies
and
who
is
reasonably
expected
to
be
determined
to
be

an
eligible
employee
of
the
state
of
Iowa,
until
such
time
as

the
determination
of
eligibility
is
made.

3.
The
governing
body
of
the
state
shall
not
be
required
to

pay
for
the
cost
of
the
health
insurance
under
this
section;

however,
the
governing
body
of
the
state
may
pay
the
full
cost

or
a
portion
of
the
cost
of
the
health
insurance,
in
which
case

the
department,
agency,
board,
bureau,
commission,
or
other

employing
entity
of
the
eligible
employee
of
the
state
of
Iowa

shall
bear
the
cost
of
such
health
insurance.
If
the
full

cost
or
a
portion
of
the
cost
of
the
coverage
is
not
paid
by

the
governing
body
of
the
state,
the
surviving
spouse
and
each

surviving
child
who
is
eligible
for
health
insurance
under
this

section
may
elect
to
continue
coverage
by
paying
that
portion

of
the
cost
of
the
health
insurance
not
paid
by
the
governing

body
of
the
state.

4.
The
governing
body
of
the
state
shall
notify
the

provider
of
health
insurance
coverage
for
state
employees
of

the
identity
of
the
surviving
spouse
and
each
surviving
child

who
is
to
be
provided
health
insurance
coverage
pursuant
to
the

requirements
of
this
section.

5.
The
governing
body
of
the
state
shall
implement

continuation
of
health
insurance
coverage
for
the
surviving

spouse
and
each
surviving
child
of
an
eligible
employee
of

Senate
File
565,
p.
3

the
state
of
Iowa
in
a
manner
that
ensures
that
the
health

insurance
coverage
provided
under
this
section
is
the
payor
of

last
resort,
as
permitted
by
federal
law.

6.
a.
This
section
shall
not
require
continuation
of
health

insurance
coverage
if
the
surviving
spouse
or
a
surviving
child

who
would
otherwise
be
entitled
to
continuation
of
health

insurance
coverage
under
this
section
was,
through
the
actions

of
the
surviving
spouse
or
the
surviving
child,
a
substantial

contributing
factor
to
the
death
of
the
eligible
employee
of

the
state
of
Iowa.

b.
This
section
shall
not
require
continuation
of
health

insurance
coverage
if
the
surviving
spouse
or
a
surviving
child

becomes
ineligible
for
health
insurance
coverage
under
the

terms
of
the
health
insurance
coverage
obtained
by
the
state

for
reasons
other
than
the
death
of
the
eligible
employee
of

the
state
of
Iowa,
including
but
not
limited
to
ineligibility

under
this
chapter,
remarriage
of
the
surviving
spouse,
or

ineligibility
for
continuing
coverage
for
a
surviving
child

pursuant
to
section
509A.13B.

Sec.
2.
RETROACTIVE
APPLICABILITY.
This
Act
applies

retroactively
to
January
1,
2024.

______________________________

AMY
SINCLAIR

President
of
the
Senate

______________________________

PAT
GRASSLEY

Speaker
of
the
House

I
hereby
certify
that
this
bill
originated
in
the
Se