The bill requires the state and municipalities to continue to provide health and life insurance as long as an employee is eligible for, or is receiving pharmaceutical services or medical, surgical or hospital care under workers' compensation.
Coverage is ended when the former employee's workers' compensation indemnity payments cease.
To the extent that the bill requires the provision of health and life insurance coverage to such individuals, the state would be required to pay the state share of the insurance premiums. Similar per capita costs are anticipated for former municipal employees. An estimate of the total state and municipal costs cannot be determined because the number of public employees who may be affected under the bill is not known. The OSC has no data regarding the number of individuals whose coverage stops when they leave state service with an open workers' compensation medical claim, nor has any municipal data been provided. However, it appears that the only persons affected would be former employees who leave their job, who are not receiving a medical or other retirement, and who do not get another job that provides health and life insurance coverage after their indemnity payments cease.