25.1 Health Insurance for Regular Full Time Employees
The County and covered nurses share in the cost of health care premiums.
The County will pay eighty-five percent (85%) of the total premium for the HMO and High Deductible Plans or seventy-five percent (75%) of the total premium for the PPO Plan. Covered nurses will pay fifteen percent (15%) of the total premium for the HMO and High Deductible Health Plans or twenty-five (25%) of the total premium for the PPO Plan.
For full time employees enrolled in the High Deductible Health Plan, the County will annually contribute fifty percent (50%) of the cost of the deductible amount for the plan to a Health Savings Account. For part time employees working half time or more, the County’s contribution to the Health Savings Account shall be prorated based on their part time status.
Coverage of eligible dependents shall be in accordance with the summary plan documents.
25.2 Health Insurance for Permanent Part Time Employees
For Nurses occupying permanent part-time positions, the County will pay one-half (1/2) of the above described premiums. For the purposes of this Section, a permanent part-time nurse is one who is working less than full-time and more than forty (40) hours per biweekly pay period. For Nurses occupying permanent part-time positions who work a minimum of sixty (60), but less than eighty (80) hours in a biweekly pay period, or qualify for health benefits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the County will pay eighty-five percent (85%) of the High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) or three-fourths (3/4) of the hospital and medical care premiums described above for all non-HDHP health plan options.
Upon request from the County, the parties will reopen Section 25 during the term of the agreement if necessary to address changes required under the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act, including the Excise Tax, or to address other healthcare legislation.
25.3 Nurses whose employment with the County is severed by reason of retirement shall be reimbursed by the County for the unused sick leave at the time of retirement on the following basis: for each eight (8) hours of unused sick leave at time of retirement, the County shall pay for one (1) month’s premium for health coverage for the nurse only, to a maximum of two hundred forty (240) months of continued health coverage (e.g., if a nurse retires with three hundred twenty (320) hours of unused sick leave, the County will continue to pay the health premiums on said nurse for a period of forty (40) months). Should a retired nurse die while receiving benefits under this section, the nurse’s spouse and eligible dependents shall continue to receive coverage to the limits provided above.
A nurse that retires who chooses to purchase retiree health benefits for his/her spouse, dependent unmarried children, young adult dependents, domestic partners, and/or children of domestic partners can do so at the County’s group health plan rates.
25.4 The County will provide up to a maximum of one hundred ninety-two (192) hours of sick leave (two (2) years of retiree health coverage) to nurses who receive a disability retirement. For example, if a nurse who receives a disability retirement has one hundred (100) hours of sick leave at the time of retirement, the County will add another ninety-two (92) hours of sick leave to his/her balance. This sick leave will be converted at the rate of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) per eight (8) hours of sick leave.
25.5 The surviving spouse of an active nurse who dies may, if he/she elects a retirement allowance, convert the nurse’s accrued sick leave to the above specified limits providing that the nurse was age fifty-five (55) or over with at least twenty (20) years of continuous service.