§36-29-6. Authorization and execution of contracts; documentation of benefits.

(a) The board is hereby authorized to execute a contract or contracts to provide the plan determined in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. Such contract or contracts may be executed with one or more agencies or corporations licensed to transact or administer group health insurance business in this state. All of the benefits to be provided under this chapter may be included in one or more similar contracts issued by the same or different companies.

(b) Before entering into any contract or contracts authorized by subsection (a) of this section, the board shall invite competitive bids from all qualified entities who may wish to administer or offer plans for the health insurance coverage desired. The board shall award such contract or contracts on a competitive basis as determined by the benefits afforded, administrative costs, the costs to be incurred by employee, retiree, and employer, the experience of the offering company or agency in the group health insurance field and its facilities for the handling of claims. In evaluating these factors the board may employ the services of impartial professional insurance analysts or actuaries.

(c) The contract or contracts executed by the board with the selected carrier or third party administrator shall be a contract to offer coverage to all employees and retirees of the state subject to the provisions of this chapter; provided, however, that nothing contained in this chapter shall prohibit other insurance carriers from soliciting additional health and other types of insurance coverage with state employees, and nothing contained in this chapter shall prohibit the Director of Finance from authorizing payment of premiums for such additional health and other types of coverage by payroll deduction.

(d) The board may authorize a carrier with whom a contract has been executed to reinsure portions of such contract with other such carriers which elect to be a reinsurer and who are legally qualified to enter into a reinsurance agreement under the laws of this state.

(e) Each employee and retiree who is covered under the plan shall receive a certificate or summary document setting forth the benefits to which the employee, retiree, and dependents are entitled thereunder, to whom such benefits shall be payable, to whom claims shall be submitted, and a summary of the provisions of the plan as they affect the employee, retiree, and dependents.

(f) The board may at the end of any contract period discontinue any contract or contracts it has executed with any carrier or third party administrator and replace same with a contract or contracts with any other carrier or third party administrator meeting the requirements of this chapter.

(g) The State Employees' Insurance Board may enter into contracts of the Public Education Employees' Health Insurance Board that were awarded through a competitive bid process, upon the mutual consent of the Public Education Employees' Health Insurance Board and the contractor.

(Acts 1965, No. 833, p. 1564, §6; Act 2004-647, 1st Sp. Sess., p. 17, §1.)