H. B. 4332
(By Delegates Kelley, Compton,
Cann and Doyle)
[Introduced February 1, 2000; referred to the
Committee on Finance.]
A BILL to amend article sixteen, chapter five of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by
adding thereto a new section, designated section
twenty-three-a, relating to allowing certain individual or
family insurance to be purchased through the public employees
insurance agency; providing the option of PEIA coverage to
corporate employers in the state who employ less than fifty
persons; and allowing eligible corporate employers a tax
deduction on their corporate income tax.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article sixteen, chapter five of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be
amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section twenty-three-a, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 16. WEST VIRGINIA PUBLIC EMPLOYEES INSURANCE ACT.
§5-16-23a. Certain unemployed, uninsured persons covered, if cost
of the entire coverage is paid by such persons;
availability of coverage for employers with less
than fifty employees.
Notwithstanding the definition of the term "employee"
contained in section two of this article and notwithstanding any
other provision of this article to the contrary eligibility for
coverage shall be available to the following:
(a) Citizens of the state who are unemployed and uninsured,
and who are not eligible for other group insurance or consolidated
omnibus budget reconsilation act coverage, may participate in and
be covered by any insurance plan or plans authorized hereunder for
state officers and employees, except that any citizens who elect to
participate in or to be covered by any such plan or plans shall pay
their proportionate individual share of the full cost for all group
coverage on themselves and their spouses and dependents, so that
there will be no cost to the state for the coverage of any such
citizens, spouses and dependents.
(b) Any business corporation maintaining its home office in this state which employs no more than fifty persons within the
state may participate in and be covered by any insurance plan or
plans authorized for state officers and employees, except that any
businesses which elect to participate in or to be covered by any
such plan or plans shall insure that each covered employee's
proportionate individual share of the full cost for all group
coverage on such employees and their spouses and dependents is
paid, so that there will be no cost to the state for the coverage
of any such citizens, spouses and dependents. Any qualifying
employer may charge employees any portion of cost share of the
actual premium required as payment for any available coverage
hereunder: Provided, That any amount paid hereunder by an employer
as payment for all or any proportion of a premium shall be subject
to adjustment under the provisions of subsection (c), section six,
article twenty-four, chapter eleven of this code.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to allow unemployed,
uninsured persons to purchase insurance for themselves, and their
spouses and dependents, if any, at group rates through PEIA. The
bill also allows corporate employers within the state who employ
less than fifty persons to receive coverage under any PEIA plan.
Finally, the bill would allow eligible employers to deduct amounts
paid for premiums from their corporate income tax.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.