H. B. 4359
(By Delegates Canterbury, Walters and Eldridge)
[Introduced February 2, 2006; referred to the
Committee on Banking and Insurance then Finance.]
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by
adding thereto a new section, designated §5-16-28, relating to
establishing a system to reduce the cost of medical care paid
by the Public Employees Insurance Agency by providing
incentives to covered employees to obtain treatment in low
cost foreign health care facilities accredited by the Joint
Commission International
.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended
by adding thereto a new section, designated §5-16-28, to read as
follows:
ARTICLE 16. WEST VIRGINIA PUBLIC EMPLOYEES INSURANCE ACT.
§5-16-28. Authorization for treatment in foreign health care
facilities accredited by the Joint Commission
International (JCI); Incentives for covered
employees; rebate of savings.
(a) Not later than the first day of July, 2006, the director shall establish a program of incentives for covered employees who
elect to obtain medical care or medical procedures in health care
facilities accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI)
when the cost of the medical care or medical procedure in the
foreign health care facility is less than the cost of the medical
care or medical procedure available in a health care facility in
this country: Provided, That the difference in the cost of the
foreign health care is equal to or greater than the total cost of
the incentives.
The incentives shall include:
1. Waiver of all co-payments and deductible payments;
2. Payment of cost of round trip air fares for the covered
employee and one companion;
3. Lodging expenses in the foreign country for the companion
for the length of the treatment or procedure;
4. Lodging expenses in the foreign country for the covered
employee and the companion for not more than seven days of
convalescence after the treatment or procedure;
5. Payment to the covered employees hiring agency for seven
days of paid sick leave which are not counted against the employees
accrued sick leave; and
6. Rebate not more than twenty percent of the cost savings
directly to the covered employee.
(b) The director shall establish a fund within the agency for
the deposit of the remaining eighty percent cost savings. Not
later than the first day of July of each fiscal year, the director shall rebate the moneys in the fund in equal amounts to each
covered employee.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide a system to
reduce the cost of medical care paid for by the Public Employees
Insurance Agency by providing incentives to covered employees to
obtain treatment in foreign health care facilities accredited by
the Joint Commission International. Under the bill, if there are
sufficient savings to do so, covered employees may choose to travel
to foreign countries for medical care and treatment with the cost
of travel, lodging and the treatment paid for by PEIA. In
addition, PEIA would reimburse the employee twenty percent of any
savings, pay for the lodging and travel cost of a companion, pay
for the cost of lodging for seven days of convalescence and pay the
employer for seven days of paid sick leave for the employee.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.