AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES -- INSURANCE BENEFITS (Entitles correctional officers with twenty-five (25) years of service and who are at least fifty-five (55) years of age to a non-Medicare-eligible retiree health care insurance benefit.)

H8352

2026 -- H 8352
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LC006175
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES -- INSURANCE BENEFITS

Introduced By:
Representatives Solomon, Casey, Casimiro, Edwards, Messier, Baginski,
and Dawson

Date Introduced:
March 25, 2026

Referred To:
House Finance
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Section 36-12-4 of the General Laws in Chapter 36-12 entitled "Insurance
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Benefits" is hereby amended to read as follows:
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36-12-4. Coverage of Non-Medicare-eligible retired employees.
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(a) Non-Medicare-eligible retired employees who retired on or before September 30, 2008.
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Any retired employee who retired on or before September 30, 2008, shall be entitled, until attaining
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Medicare eligibility, to be covered under §§ 36-12-1 — 36-12-5 for himself and herself and, if he
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or she so desires, his or her non-Medicare-eligible dependents, upon agreeing to pay the total cost
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of his or her contract at the group rate for active state employees. Payments of any non-Medicare-
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eligible retired employee for coverage shall be deducted from his or her retirement allowance and
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remitted from time to time in payment for such contract. In addition, any retired employee who
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retired on or before September 30, 2008, shall be permitted to purchase coverage for his or her non-
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Medicare-eligible dependents upon agreeing to pay the additional cost of the contract at the group
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rate for active state employees. Payment for coverage for these dependents shall be deducted from
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his or her retirement allowances and remitted as required in payment for the contract.
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(b) Non-Medicare-eligible state retirees who retired subsequent to July 1, 1989, and on or
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before September 30, 2008. Non-Medicare-eligible state retirees who retired subsequent to July 1,
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1989, and on or before September 30, 2008, from active service of the state, and who were
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employees of the state as determined by the retirement board under § 36-8-1, shall be entitled to
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receive for himself or herself non-Medicare-eligible a retiree healthcare insurance benefit as

1
described in § 36-12-1 in accordance with the following formula:
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Years of Service Age at Retirement State's Share Employee's Share
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10-15 60 50% 50%
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16-22 60 70% 30%
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23-27 60 80% 20%
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28+ — 90% 10%
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28+ 60 100% 0%
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35+ any 100% 0%
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If the retired employee is receiving a subsidy on September 30, 2008, the state will continue
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to pay the same subsidy share until the retiree attains age sixty-five (65).
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Until December 31, 2013, when the state retiree reaches that age which will qualify him or
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her for Medicare supplement, the formula shall be:
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Years of Service State's Share Employee's Share
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10 – 15 50% 50%
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16 – 19 70% 30%
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20 – 27 90% 10%
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28+ 100% 0%
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(c) Non-Medicare-eligible retired employees who retire on or after October 1, 2008. Any
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retired employee who retires on or after October 1, 2008, shall be entitled, until attaining Medicare
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eligibility, to be covered under §§ 36-12-1 — 36-12-5 for himself and herself and, if he or she so
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desires, his or her non-Medicare-eligible dependents, upon agreeing to pay the total cost of the
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contract in the plan in which he or she enrolls. Payments of any non-Medicare-eligible retired
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employee for coverage shall be deducted from his or her retirement allowance and remitted from
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time to time in payment for such contract. Any retired employee who retires on or after October 1,
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2008, shall be permitted to purchase coverage for his or her non-Medicare-eligible dependents upon
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agreeing to pay the additional cost of the contract at the group rate for the plan in which the
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dependent is enrolled. Payment for coverage for dependents shall be deducted from the retired
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employee’s retirement allowances and remitted as required in payment for the contract. The
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Director of Administration shall develop and present to the chairpersons of the House Finance
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Committee and the Senate Finance Committee by May 23, 2008 a retiree health plan option or
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options to be offered to retirees eligible for state-sponsored medical coverage who are under age
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sixty-five (65) or are not eligible for Medicare. This plan will have a reduced benefit level and will
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have an actuarially based premium cost not greater than the premium cost of the plan offered to the
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active state employee population. This new plan option will be available to employees retiring after

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September 30, 2008, and their dependents.
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(d) Non-Medicare-eligible state retirees who retire on or after October 1, 2008. Non-
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Medicare-eligible state retirees who retire on or after October 1, 2008, from active service of the
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state, and who were employees of the state as determined by the retirement board under § 36-8-1,
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and who have a minimum of twenty (20) years of service, and who are a minimum of fifty-nine
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(59) years of age, shall be entitled to receive for himself or herself a non-Medicare-eligible retiree
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healthcare insurance benefit as described in § 36-12-1. The state will subsidize 80% of the cost of
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the health insurance plan for individual coverage in which the state retiree is enrolled in. Payments
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for coverage shall be deducted from his or her retirement allowance and remitted from time to time
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in payment for such contract.
Correctional officers as defined in § 28-9.7-3 and those members
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described in § 36-10-9.2 who have a minimum of twenty-five (25) years of service, and who are a
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minimum of fifty-five (55) years of age, shall be entitled to receive for themselves a non-Medicare-
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eligible retiree health care insurance benefit as described in § 36-12-1.
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(e) Medicare-eligible state retirees who retire on or after October 1, 2008. Until December
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31, 2013, the state shall subsidize eighty percent (80%) of the cost of the Medicare-eligible health
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insurance plan for individual coverage in which the state retiree is enrolled, provided the employee
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retired on or after October 1, 2008; has a minimum of twenty (20) years of service; and is a
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minimum of fifty-nine (59) years of age. Payments for coverage shall be deducted from his or her
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retirement allowance and remitted from time to time in payment for such health insurance plan.
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(f) Retired employees, including retired teachers, who are non-Medicare-eligible and who
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reach the age of sixty-five (65) shall be allowed to continue to purchase group healthcare insurance
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benefits in the same manner as those provided to retired employees who have not reached the age
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of sixty-five (65).
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SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES -- INSURANCE BENEFITS
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This act would entitle correctional officers with twenty-five (25) years of service and who
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are at least fifty-five (55) years of age to a non-Medicare-eligible retiree health care insurance
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benefit.
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This act would take effect upon passage.
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