§ 2-56. Group health insurance coverage.

(a)

The city may, at its election, and within the bounds of applicable state and federal laws, provide a group health insurance policy to all city employees.

(b)

City employees, both current and retired, who desire to participate in the group health insurance offered by the city must fully comply and cooperate with the requests by insurance companies and underwriters for medical and other pertinent information.

(c)

The failure of an employee to provide the relevant information as requested by the insurance carrier will constitute a waiver of that employee's ability to participate in the group health insurance offered by the city. This waiver will be effective throughout the term of the group health insurance policy.

(d)

At renewal and review periods for the group health insurance policy, an employee who has previously waived access to the group plan may decide to provide the necessary information for coverage review. After supplying the necessary information, the employee may then be included into the group policy at the beginning of the next new policy term.

(e)

The city must supply all city employees with prior written notification of the policy requirements outlined in subsections (a) through (d) of this section. After such notification, no other requirements are necessary for the city to exclude employees from the group health insurance plan who refuse to provide necessary information to the insurance company.

(f)

The City of Westwego will not provide health insurance coverage upon retirement to employees hired after March 31, 2014.

(g)

The city shall provide continued health insurance coverage for employees hired prior to April 1, 2014 upon their retirement from the city in the following manner:

(1)

The city shall pay the cost to provide health insurance coverage for the retiree only under the city's group health plan, until the retiree becomes eligible for Medicare.

(2)

The retiree may elect to purchase health insurance coverage for his/her spouse and/or dependents under the group health plan provided that the retiree shall bear the entire cost of such additional health insurance coverage.

(3)

When the retiree becomes eligible for Medicare, the city shall cease to provide health insurance coverage for the retiree under the group plan and shall instead provide Medicare Supplemental Insurance coverage for the retiree.

(4)

The retiree may elect to purchase Medicare Supplemental Insurance for his/her spouse provided that the retiree shall bear the entire cost of such entire Medicare Supplemental Insurance.

(5)

In the event that a retiree becomes eligible for Medicare before his/her spouse does, the retiree may elect to continue health insurance coverage for said spouse until he/she becomes eligible for Medicare, provided that the retiree shall bear the entire cost to do so.

(6)

To be eligible for this benefit, the employee must:

a.

Be eligible to receive retirement benefits under the rules and regulations of the Louisiana Retirement System of which he/she is a member at the time of separation from the city and served a minimum of ten years of full time employment with the city; or

b.

Have reached 60 years of age and served a minimum of ten years of full time employment with the city at the time of separation; or

c.

Have served as an elected official in and for the city a minimum of ten years.

(7)

The city will continue to provide the existing level of health insurance benefits for former employees who retired prior to April 1, 2014 and have qualified to receive a retiree health insurance benefit.

(8)

Any other provisions of the City Code that are in conflict with the above are hereby repealed.

(Code 1976, § 2:118; Ord. No. 1087, 2-9-1998; Ord. No. 1484, 4-14-2014 ; Ord. No. 1485, 5-12-2014 )