Appropriates $2.5 million to DOBI to reimburse joint insurance funds for COVID-19 surveillance testing.

This bill appropriates $2.5 million from New Jersey's General Fund to the Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) to reimburse joint insurance funds for covering the cost of COVID-19 surveillance testing. It specifically targets joint insurance funds that provided group health insurance coverage for unvaccinated, asymptomatic workers in healthcare and high-risk congregate settings during the period from August 6, 2021, to August 15, 2022. The reimbursement covers testing costs that these funds voluntarily paid despite federal guidance not requiring such coverage. The bill aims to offset expenses incurred by insurance funds during a time when New Jersey executive orders mandated testing policies for certain employers.