NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1979 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 1217

SENATE BILL 1010

 

 

AN ACT TO EQUITABLY DISTRIBUTE THE COST OF HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CARE BENEFITS OF RETIRED EMPLOYEES OF CERTAIN ASSOCIATIONS.

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

Section 1.  G.S. 135-33 is hereby rewritten to read as follows:

"§ 135-33.  Hospital and medical insurance. — (a) The Board of Trustees of the Retirement System shall formulate, establish and administer for teachers and State employees, including all employees of the General Assembly except participants in the Legislative Intern Program and pages, a program of hospital and medical care benefits to the extent that funds for such benefits are specifically appropriated by the General Assembly. Such a program may be provided by the Board either directly or through the purchase of contracts therefor, or any combination thereof, as in its discretion it may deem wise and expedient. In awarding any contracts pursuant to this section, the Board shall give consideration to the total or overall cost of complete family coverage by teachers and State employees.

(b)        Notwithstanding any provisions of this section to the contrary, any member who was vested at the time of retirement, his surviving spouse, and the surviving spouse of a teacher or State employee who is receiving a survivor's alternate benefit under G.S. 135-5(m), may obtain or continue the same hospital and medical care insurance and benefits for himself and/or dependents available to active teachers and State employees until they become ineligible for such insurance or benefits due to reasons other than retirement, provided such member or dependents or surviving spouse agrees to and pays by a deduction from retirement benefits or by other appropriate method an amount not greater than the cost of such benefits for active teachers and State employees, adjusted for any appropriation by the General Assembly for qualified individuals.

(c)        The Board of Trustees shall offer any members who were vested at the time of retirement, their spouses or surviving spouses, and the surviving spouses of teachers and State employees who are receiving a survivor's alternate benefit under G.S. 135-5(m), who are eligible for Medicare a plan of supplemental insurance designed to provide them with medical and hospital insurance benefits comparable to the benefits offered active teachers and State employees, if such member or surviving spouse agrees to and pays by a deduction from retirement benefits or other appropriate method the cost of such benefits, adjusted for any appropriation by the General Assembly for qualified individuals.

(d)        For the support of the benefits made available to any member vested at the time of retirement, their spouses or surviving spouses, and the surviving spouses of employees who are receiving a survivor's alternate benefit under G.S. 135-5(m) of those associations listed in G.S. 135-27(a), licensing and examining boards under G.S. 135-1.1, the North Carolina Art Society, Inc., and the North Carolina Symphony Society, Inc., each association, organization or board shall pay to the Retirement System the full cost of providing these benefits under this section as determined by the Board of Trustees of the Retirement System. In addition, each association, organization or board shall pay to the Retirement System an amount equal to the cost of the benefits provided under this section to presently retired members of each association, organization or board since such benefits became available at no cost to the retired member."

Sec. 2.  This shall become effective July 1,1980.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 24th day of June, 1980.