§1223.  Authority to contract for group hospital insurance; payment of premiums; coverage; voluntary nature of participation

A.(1)  The parish or city school board, the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and other boards of control of publicly supported educational institutions may make contracts for group medical, surgical, and hospital benefits and services with any insurance company, hospital service, and physician service legally authorized to do business in this state providing for medical, surgical, and hospital service and benefits for its employees or any class or classes thereof, including superintendents of schools and members of the school board, under a policy or policies of group insurance or contracts covering hospital, medical, and surgical benefits and services to such persons and for such purposes, may agree to pay part or all of the premiums or charges for any such contracts out of any funds appropriated for the purpose and included in the budgets of the parish or city school boards and institutions.

(2)  The parish or city school boards may also contract for medical, surgical, and hospital service and benefits for such persons' family members and dependents and may agree to pay part or all of the premiums or charges therefor out of funds appropriated for the purpose and included in its budget.  All other boards and institutions authorized hereunder to enter into such contracts may also provide for medical, surgical, and hospital service and benefits for such persons' family members and dependents provided the cost of such service and benefits is paid for solely by the persons.

(3)  The parish or city school boards may also contract for medical, surgical, and hospital service and benefits for the surviving spouses and dependents of deceased school system employees or retired employees who were, during their lifetimes, eligible for and entitled to such benefits and services and participants in and parties to such a contract provided the cost of such service and benefits is paid for solely by the surviving spouses and dependents.  Such surviving spouses and dependents shall have the same rights and responsibilities under the contract as other members of the group and shall in all respects, except payment of premiums or charges by the employer, be treated as other members of the group.

(4)  The term "employee", as used in this Section, shall include any former employee now retired.

B.  The said parish school boards and publicly supported educational institutions are legally authorized, enabled, and permitted to deduct from the employee's pay, salary or compensation, such parts of the premiums as are payable by the employee and as may be authorized in writing by the employee.

C.  Nothing herein contained shall be construed to make it compulsory upon any employees herein designated to accept or join in any plan of group insurance or to assign or authorize deductions from their wages or salaries in payment of premiums therefor.

Added by Acts 1952, No. 338, §§1, 2.  Amended by Acts 1975, No. 365, §1; Acts 1976, No. 597, §1; Acts 1981, No. 340, §1, eff. July 16, 1981; Acts 1984, No. 771, §1, eff. July 13, 1984.