Public employee health benefits: enrollment.

Existing law requires the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) to administer the Public Employees' Medical and Hospital Care Act (PEMHCA) . PEMHCA further grants the board the power to approve health benefit plans and contract with carriers offering health benefit plans. Under PEMHCA, an employee or annuitant may enroll in a health benefit plan approved or maintained by the board either as an individual or for self and family. Existing law defines annuitant for purposes of receiving postretirement health benefits pursuant to PEMHCA and generally requires that a person retire within 120 days of separation from public employment, with specified exceptions. This bill would permit an annuitant who reinstates from retirement under PERS for employment by the state or a contracting agency and who subsequently retires again on or after January 1, 2014, to enroll in a health benefit plan under PEMHCA for which he or she is eligible, as specified, as an annuitant of the employer from which he or she first retired, upon meeting certain conditions. In this regard, the bill would require that the person's subsequent retirement occur within 120 days after separation of employment, as specified, and that the person not be eligible for a postretirement health benefit contribution from the employer from which he or she subsequently retires or that the postretirement health benefit contribution payable by that employer be less than the contribution payable by that employer during his or her prior retirement.