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An Act To Provide Further Improvements to Maine's Health Insurance Law
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 24-A MRSA §3957, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 90, Pt. B, §8, is amended to read:
 
2. Maximum assessment.   The board shall assess each insurer an amount not to exceed $4 per month per covered person enrolled in medical insurance insured, reinsured or administered by the insurer. An insurer may not be assessed on policies or contracts insuring federal or state employees except for policies or contracts insuring Legislators and their dependents. For policies or contracts insuring Legislators and their dependents, Legislators shall pay the amount of the assessment to the insurer.
Sec. 2.  24-A MRSA §3957, sub-§5, ¶D  is enacted to read:
 
D.  An insurer may not be assessed on policies or contracts insuring federal or state employees, except for policies or contracts insuring Legislators and their dependents. Any assessment required under this subsection on policies or contracts insuring Legislators and their dependents must be paid as provided in subsection 2.
Sec. 3. Payroll deduction. In consultation with the Legislative Council and the insurer or 3rd-party administrator for the group health plan provided in accordance with the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 285, the State shall collect any assessment required to be paid by Legislators pursuant to Title 24-A, section 6957, subsection 2 or subsection 5 through payroll deduction.
 
SUMMARY
The bill amends the law regarding rating practices for individual and small group health plans to remove the exemption from assessment for Legislators and their dependents, thus requiring insurers to pay an assessment for administrative costs of up to $4 per month per person for policies insuring Legislators and their dependents and potential assessments of up to $2 per month to cover any net loss. The amendment provides that Legislators shall pay for the amount of assessments and requires the assessments to be collected through payroll deduction.