SB 430

Under the Municipal Employment Relations Act (MERA), all matters relating

to wages, hours, and conditions of employment are subject to collective bargaining.

This bill prohibits bargaining over the selection of a health care coverage plan if the

employer offers to enroll its employees in a plan provided to local government

employers by the Group Insurance Board or in a plan that is substantially similar

to the plan offered by the Group Insurance Board. Under the bill, the Office of the

Commissioner of Insurance must promulgate rules that set out standardized

benefits under health care coverage plans and that may be used for determining

whether any health care coverage plan is similar to the plan offered by the Group

Insurance Board.

In addition, the bill provides that under MERA any employer may unilaterally

change its employees' health care coverage plan provider if the benefits remain

substantially the same and if either the actual providers of the health care are the

same or cost savings will result from changing the health care coverage plan

provider.