52:14-17.46.14 Annual contribution from employee, retiree.
2. a. Each employee, and retiree who is not Medicare-eligible and who is required by another provision of law to contribute in retirement toward the cost of health care benefits coverage under the program, shall contribute annually toward the cost of health care benefits coverage for the employee and retiree, and dependents if any, under the New Jersey Educators Health Plan offered by the School Employees' Health Benefits Program an amount equal to a percentage of the employee's annual base salary or retiree's annual retirement allowance, including any cost of living adjustments to that allowance. The contribution shall be withheld by the employer from the salary of the employee or by the retirement system from the retirement allowance, including any cost of living adjustments to that allowance, of the retiree who is not Medicare-eligible. The percent to be contributed shall be as follows with the retirement allowance including any cost of living adjustments to that allowance:
For Base Salary or Retirement Allowance of $40,000 or Less: 1.7% for Single Coverage; 2.2% for Parent and Child(ren) Coverage; 2.8% for Employee and Spouse Coverage; and 3.3% for Family Coverage
For Base Salary or Retirement Allowance of more than $40,000 to $50,000: 1.9% for Single Coverage; 2.5% for Parent and Child(ren) Coverage; 3.3% for Employee and Spouse Coverage; and 3.9% for Family Coverage
For Base Salary or Retirement Allowance of more than $50,000 to $60,000: 2.2% for Single Coverage; 2.8% for Parent and Child(ren) Coverage; 3.9% for Employee and Spouse Coverage; and 4.4% for Family Coverage
For Base Salary or Retirement Allowance of more than $60,000 to $70,000: 2.5% for Single Coverage; 3% for Parent and Child(ren) Coverage; 4.4% for Employee and Spouse Coverage; and 5% for Family Coverage
For Base Salary or Retirement Allowance of more than $70,000 to $80,000: 2.8% for Single Coverage; 3.3% for Parent and Child(ren) Coverage; 5% for Employee and Spouse Coverage; and 5.5% for Family Coverage
For Base Salary or Retirement Allowance of more than $80,000 to $90,000: 3% for Single Coverage; 3.6% for Parent and Child(ren) Coverage; 5.5% for Employee and Spouse Coverage; and 6% for Family Coverage
For Base Salary or Retirement Allowance of more than $90,000 to $100,000: 3.3% for Single Coverage; 3.9% for Parent and Child(ren) Coverage; 6% for Employee and Spouse Coverage; and 6.6% for Family Coverage
For Base Salary or Retirement Allowance of more than $100,000 to $125,000: 3.6% for Single Coverage; 4.4% for Parent and Child(ren) Coverage; 6.6% for Employee and Spouse Coverage; and 7.2% for Family Coverage
When the base salary or retirement allowance is more than $125,000, the amount to be contributed shall be the same as for a base salary or retirement allowance of $125,000.
b. Each employee, and retiree who is not Medicare-eligible and who is required by another provision of law to contribute in retirement toward the cost of health care benefits coverage under the program, shall contribute annually toward the cost of health care benefits coverage for the employee and retiree, and dependents if any, under the Garden State Health Plan offered by the School Employees' Health Benefits Program an amount equal to a percentage of the employee's annual salary or retiree's annual retirement allowance, including any cost of living adjustments to that allowance. The contribution shall be withheld by the employer from the salary of the employee or by the retirement system from the retirement allowance, including any cost of living adjustments to that allowance, of the retiree who is not Medicare-eligible. The percent to be contributed shall be one-half of the percentage set forth in subsection a. of this section for the salary or retirement allowance range and type of coverage, except that the contribution specified in this subsection shall not be less than the minimum annual contribution for health care benefits coverage of 1.5% of salary or retirement allowance, including any cost of living adjustments to that allowance, as required by law.
c. (1) An employee enrolled in the New Jersey Educators Health Plan or the Garden State Health Plan shall be required to pay only the contribution specified in subsection a. or b. of this section, notwithstanding any other provision of law, rule, or regulation to the contrary requiring contributions by employees toward the cost of health care benefits coverage under the program, except as provided in subsection b. of this section. No other contribution may be required by collective negotiations agreement, except as set forth in subsection h. of this section.
(2) Only those retirees who are not Medicare-eligible and who are required by another provision of law to contribute in retirement toward the cost of health care coverage under the program shall be required to pay the contribution specified in subsection a. or b. of this section for coverage under the New Jersey Educators Health Plan or the Garden State Health Plan.
A retiree who is not Medicare-eligible, who is enrolled in the New Jersey Educators Health Plan or the Garden State Health Plan, and who is required by another provision of law to contribute in retirement toward the cost of health care coverage under the program shall be required to pay only the contribution specified in subsection a. or b. of this section, notwithstanding the provisions of section 77 of P.L.2011, c.78 (C.52:14-17.28e), section 3 of P.L.1987, c.384 (C.52:14-17.32f), section 2 of P.L.1992, c.126 (C.52:14-17.32f1), or section 1 of P.L.1995, c.357 (C.52:14-17.32f2) to the contrary requiring contributions by retirees toward the cost of health care benefits coverage under the program, except as provided in subsection b. of this section.
d. Employees who are not enrolled in the New Jersey Educators Health Plan or the Garden State Health Plan shall continue, after the effective date of this act, P.L.2020, c.44, to contribute to health care benefits coverage and those contributions shall be determined in accordance with what is permitted or required by provisions of law.
An employee who is enrolled in a plan other than the New Jersey Educators Health Plan or the Garden State Health Plan shall be required to contribute toward the cost of health care benefits coverage under the program (a) in accordance with a collective negotiations agreement applicable to that employee as negotiated prior to or after the effective date of this act, P.L.2020, c.44, pursuant to the requirements that were set forth in law on the day next preceding that effective date; (b) as may be required at the discretion of the employer; or (c) as required by a provision of law, whichever is applicable to that employee.
With regard to contributions by an employee who is enrolled in a plan other than the New Jersey Educators Health Plan or the Garden State Health Plan, no provision in this section shall be deemed to modify, alter, impair, or terminate the requirement in sections 77 and 78 of P.L.2011, c.78 (C.18A:16-17.2 and C.52:14-17.28e), as applicable, that a public employer and employees who were in negotiations for the collective negotiations agreement to be executed after the employees in that unit had reached full implementation of the premium share set forth in section 39 of P.L.2011, c.78 (C.52:14-17.28c) shall conduct negotiations concerning contributions for health care benefits as if the full premium share was included in the prior contract. Nothing in this act shall be deemed to modify, alter, impair, or terminate the continued compliance after the effective date of this act with that requirement for negotiations for any collective negotiations agreement for employee contributions for plans other than the New Jersey Educators Health Plan or the Garden State Health Plan.
e. For an employee, the annual base salary paid by the employer for the position held by the employee shall be used to identify the percentage to be used to calculate the annual contribution required under subsections a. and b. of section 2 of this act. For a retiree who is not Medicare-eligible, the annual retirement allowance, including any cost of living adjustments to that allowance, received by the retiree shall be used to identify the percentage to be used to calculate the annual contribution required under subsections a. and b. of section 2 of this act.
f. The annual contribution by an employee or a retiree who is not Medicare-eligible as calculated in accordance with subsection a. or b. of this section shall not exceed the amount as calculated in accordance with section 4 of this act, P.L.2020, c.44 (C.52:14-17.46.16).
g. The contributions required by this section shall apply to employees for whom the employer has assumed a health care benefits payment obligation, to require that such employees pay the amount of contribution specified in this section for health care benefits coverage. The contributions required by this section shall apply to retirees for whom the State has assumed a health care benefits payment obligation but who are required by law to contribute toward the cost of health care benefits coverage under the program, to require that such retirees pay the amount of contribution specified in this section for health care benefits coverage.
h. For the plan year that commences on January 1, 2028 and for each plan year thereafter, the contributions required pursuant to subsections a. and b. of this section for employees enrolled in the New Jersey Educators Health Plan or the Garden State Health Plan may be modified through collective negotiations agreements entered into between the employers who participate in the School Employees' Health Benefits Program and their employees. The contributions required pursuant to subsections a. and b. of this section shall become part of the parties' collective negotiations and shall then be subject to collective negotiations in a manner similar to other negotiable items between the parties. Negotiations concerning contributions for health care benefits shall be conducted as if the contributions required pursuant to subsections a. and b. of this section were included in the prior contract. The contribution scheme of percentage of base salary set forth in those subsections may be modified or a new contribution scheme or method other than a percentage of salary may be provided for in accordance with a collective negotiations agreement.
i. Modifications to the contribution rates set forth in this section made by the School Employees' Health Benefits Plan Design Committee or the State Treasurer pursuant to section 7 of this act shall be implemented by the program for the purposes of this section commencing January 1, 2024.
L.2020, c.44, s.2; amended 2020, c.137, s.1.