(1) Every group disability insurance policy, health care service contract, health maintenance agreement, and health and welfare benefit plan obtained or created to provide benefits to employees of school districts and their dependents shall contain provisions that permit retired and disabled employees to continue medical, dental, or vision coverage under the group policy, contract, agreement, or plan until September 30, 1993, or until the employee becomes eligible for federal medicare coverage, whichever occurs first. The terms and conditions for election and maintenance of such continued coverage shall conform to the standards established under the federal consolidated omnibus budget reconciliation act of 1985, as amended. The period of continued coverage provided under this section shall run concurrently with any period of coverage guaranteed under the federal consolidated omnibus budget reconciliation act of 1985, as amended.

     (2) This section applies to:

     (a) School district employees who retired or lost insurance coverage due to disability after July 28, 1991;

     (b) School district employees who retired or lost insurance coverage due to disability within the eighteen-month period ending on July 28, 1991; and

     (c) School district employees who retired or lost insurance coverage due to disability prior to January 28, 1990, and who were covered by their employing district's insurance plan on January 1, 1991.

     (3) For the purposes of this section "retired employee" means an employee who separates from district service and is eligible at the time of separation from service to receive, immediately following separation from service, a retirement allowance under chapter 41.32 or 41.40 RCW.

     (4) The superintendent of public instruction shall adopt administrative rules to implement this section.

[1993 c 386 § 2; 1992 c 152 § 1.]

NOTES:

     Intent -- 1993 c 386: "It is the legislature's intent to increase access to health insurance for retired and disabled school employees and also to improve equity between state employees and school employees by providing for the reduction of health insurance premiums charged to retired school employees through a subsidy charged against health insurance allocations for active employees. It is further the legislature's intent to improve the cost-effectiveness of state-purchased health care by managing programs for public employees, in this case retired school employees, through the state health care authority." [1993 c 386 § 1.]

     Effective date -- 1993 c 386 §§ 1, 2, 4-6, 8-10, and 12-16: "Sections 1, 2, 4 through 6, 8 through 10, and 12 through 16 of this act are necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately [May 15, 1993]." [1993 c 386 § 18.]