Local Government Health Insurance Board; governance and administration of program.

(a) The Local Government Health Insurance Board shall govern and administer the Local Government Health Insurance Program currently governed and administered by the State Employees' Insurance Board (SEIB) pursuant to Chapter 29 of Title 36. The transfer of the governance and administration to the board shall take effect at 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2015, and thereafter the board shall take all control and responsibility for the program under procedures and authority set out in this chapter.

(b) The program governed and administered by the board shall provide a reasonable relationship between the health care benefits to be included and the expected health care expenses to be incurred by affected employees, retirees, and their dependents. The board may establish a fully insured or self-insured health care plan for employees and retirees as defined in this chapter and may adopt rules for the administration of the program. The program shall include appropriate controls to provide reasonable assurance of its stability in future years, which may include, but are not limited to, deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and other cost containment measures, such as medical management, utilization review, wellness initiatives, and case management, for the purpose of making the benefit plan more cost effective.

(c) Except as otherwise provided herein, the program shall be funded solely from contributions of the employer participants of the program and shall not receive any funding from the state. The governing bodies of entities participating in the program, hereinafter "employer participants," are authorized to make appropriations to the board as necessary for the proper administration of the program including the payment of premiums as provided in this chapter or under rules adopted by the board.

(d) Notwithstanding Section 36-29-14, the following entities and organizations shall be employer participants in the program:

(1) All entities and organizations which are active participants in good standing in the Local Government Health Insurance Program governed and administered by SEIB immediately prior to 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2015.

(2) Subject to acceptance by the board, any of the following entities or organizations not already employer participants in the program pursuant to subdivision (1) which by resolution legally conforming to rules prescribed by the board elects to have its elected officials, full-time employees, and retired employees become eligible for health care coverage under the program: Any county, any municipality, any municipal foundation, any fire or water district, authority, or cooperative, any regional planning and development commission established pursuant to Sections 11-85-50 through 11-85-73; the Association of County Commissions of Alabama; the Alabama League of Municipalities; the Alabama Retired State Employees' Association; the Alabama State Employees Credit Union; Easter Seals Alabama; Alabama State University; the Alabama Rural Water Association; Rainbow Omega, Incorporated; The Arc of Alabama, Incorporated, and any of the affiliated local chapters of The Arc of Alabama, Incorporated; United Ways of Alabama and its member United Ways; the Alabama Network of Children's Advocacy Centers; and its member Children's Advocacy Centers; the Care Assurance System for the Aging and Homebound and its affiliated local centers; any railroad authority organized pursuant to Chapter 13 of Title 37; or any solid waste disposal authority organized pursuant to Chapter 89A of Title 11.

(e) The agreement of an employer participant to have its full-time employees, elected officials, retirees, and dependents covered under the program may be revoked only if the employer participant, by resolution of its governing body, signifies its intention and desire to withdraw from the program. Any resolution to withdraw shall be delivered to the board by certified mail no later than six months prior to the effective date of withdrawal. Any employer participant that withdraws from participation in the program shall be responsible for paying any claims incurred prior to the date of withdrawal that are not reported and paid by the date of withdrawal and, on and after the date of withdrawal, shall be liable for interest accrued at a rate of one and one-half percent per month on any monies due the board which are over 30 days past due.

(f) Any organization that provides or administers health care benefits through or on behalf of the board shall not provide or administer health care benefits to any entity that withdraws from the program for a period of two years from the effective date of withdrawal.

(g) Any entities or organizations added to the Local Government Health Insurance Program on or after June 1, 2018, which were not identified as employer participants eligible for participation in the Local Government Health Insurance Program pursuant to subdivisions (1) and (2) of subsection (d) prior to June 1, 2018, shall be treated as separate entities and their premiums shall be established independently from employer participants that entered the program prior to this date.

(h) The board shall adopt rules as may be necessary for the effective administration of this section.

(Act 2014-401, p. 1473, §2; Act 2016-348, p. 851, §1; Act 2018-124, §1.)