Bill > H2801

This bill proposes changes to health insurance benefits for surviving spouses of public employees in Massachusetts. Currently, surviving spouses lose their health insurance coverage if they remarry, but this bill removes the provision that terminates insurance coverage upon remarriage in chapters 32A and 32B of the Massachusetts General Laws. Additionally, the bill modifies how premium costs are shared, changing from the governmental unit paying the entire premium to a 50/50 cost-sharing arrangement between the surviving spouse and the governmental unit. The bill applies these changes prospectively, meaning they will affect surviving spouses who remarried before the law's effective date and had their insurance previously terminated, but it does not provide retroactive insurance coverage. Section 9D of chapter 32B is also repealed as part of these modifications. These changes aim to provide more continuous health insurance protection for surviving spouses of public employees, regardless of their marital status.

Health and Social Services, Labor and Employment

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H2801