[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 561 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 561

     To provide that the same health insurance premium conversion 
arrangements afforded to Federal employees be made available to Federal 
 annuitants and members and retired members of the uniformed services.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 19, 2001

  Ms. Collins introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
           referred to the Committee on Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To provide that the same health insurance premium conversion 
arrangements afforded to Federal employees be made available to Federal 
 annuitants and members and retired members of the uniformed services.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Employees Health Insurance 
Premium Conversion Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUM CONVERSION ARRANGEMENTS.

    In this Act, the term ``health insurance premium conversion 
arrangement'' refers to an arrangement described in the letter of the 
Office of Personnel Management (numbered 00-204) dated February 14, 
2000, and entitled ``Federal Employees' Health Benefits (FEHB) Program: 
Premium Conversion''.

SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF PREMIUM CONVERSION ARRANGEMENTS TO FEDERAL 
              ANNUITANTS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``annuitant'' has the meaning given that term 
        under section 8901 of title 5, United States Code; and
            (2) the term ``FEHBP'' refers to the health benefits 
        program established under chapter 89 of title 5, United States 
        Code.
    (b) Conversion Arrangements.--The Office of Personnel Management 
shall take all necessary actions to ensure that the option to pay one's 
FEHBP enrollment charges through a health insurance premium conversion 
arrangement shall be made available to annuitants, beginning on the 
same date as when such option first becomes available to Federal 
employees generally under the rules described in the letter identified 
in section 2 (or as soon thereafter as possible, but in no event later 
than the date specified under section 6).

SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF PREMIUM CONVERSION ARRANGEMENT TO MEMBERS AND 
              RETIRED MEMBERS OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``appropriate Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Defense, except that--
                    (A) with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not 
                operating as a service of the Navy, that term means the 
                Secretary of Transportation;
                    (B) with respect to the commissioned corps of the 
                National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, that 
                term means the Secretary of Commerce; and
                    (C) with respect to the commissioned corps of the 
                Public Health Service, that term means the Secretary of 
                Health and Human Services;
            (2) the term ``member of the uniformed services'' means a 
        member of the uniformed services, other than a retired member 
        of the uniformed services;
            (3) the term ``retired member of the uniformed services'' 
        means a member or former member of the uniformed services 
        entitled to retired or retainer pay; and
            (4) the term ``uniformed services'' has the meaning given 
        that term under section 2101 of title 5, United States Code.
    (b) Conversion Arrangements.--Each of the appropriate Secretaries 
shall establish a plan, similar in effect to the health insurance 
premium conversion arrangement described in section 2, for the benefit 
of members and retired members of the uniformed services under the 
jurisdiction of the Secretary involved.

SEC. 5. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

    The Office of Personnel Management shall make information and 
technical assistance available to agencies and other employing entities 
in the development of plans under this Act.

SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    All plans required under section 4 shall be completed in time so 
that the option to pay one's enrollment charges through a health 
insurance premium conversion arrangement shall become available not 
later than the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning 
on or after January 1, 2002.
                                 <all>