The board of directors shall:
(a) Negotiate and enter into contractual arrangements with health care insurance providers to provide health benefits coverage for the eligible employees and retirees of participating public agencies and their eligible dependents.
(b) Act upon the requests of counties, cities, and districts to participate in the program.
(c) Gather, compile, and furnish such information as may be needed by the health care insurance providers for premium computation purposes.
(d) Analyze federal and state laws and regulations to assure that the health benefits coverage plans being made available and the operations of the program comply with those statutes and regulations.
(e) Provide appropriate consumer information for use by the participating public agencies during the annual open enrollment periods.
(f) Monitor the utilization of the plans by the participating public agencies for cost effectiveness and potential fraud and abuse, and to assure that the needs of those agencies are being met.
(g) Adopt, after the expiration of a reasonable review and comment period, such rules and regulations as may be necessary to provide for the effective operation of the program, including defining of the eligibility of employees and retirees and their dependents to participate in the program.
(h) Employ such staff and consultants, either directly or by contract, as may be reasonably necessary to carry out the program.
(i) Make copies of its proposed budget available to the board of supervisors of all participating counties for review and comment prior to the adoption of the budget.
(j) Establish, in conjunction with the adoption of the annual budget, a schedule of fees and charges for the equitable distribution of the program operating expenses among the participating public agencies.
(Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 199, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1994.)