11-263. Authorization to procure insurance for county employees and dependents; expenditure of public funds; employee payments; retired county employees; group health and accident coverage

A. The board of supervisors may adopt a system of insurance for the benefit of county elected officials and employees. The board may procure health, life, accident and disability insurance for the benefit of these elected officials and employees from any insurer licensed to do business in this state and pay the whole or any part of the premiums on the insurance from public funds. Public funds shall not be spent for life insurance in excess of fifty thousand dollars or the amount of the salary annually paid to the elected official or employee, whichever is more. The board may procure health and accident coverage for the dependents of the elected officials and employees and pay all or any part of the premium on the insurance from public funds. The board may deduct from the compensation of the employees and elected officials, and apply to the payment of the premiums, that part of the premiums determined by the board to be payable by the employees and elected officials. The deductions shall be made only from those employees and elected officials who have voluntarily agreed in writing to participate in the program.

B. The board of supervisors may enter into agreements to establish group health and accident coverage for former county employees who are retired and receiving income from a retirement program of this state and their dependents. The agreements may provide that all or any portion of the former employees or their dependents may be grouped with officers and employees of the county or their dependents as necessary to obtain health and accident coverage at favorable rates.

C. The Arizona state retirement system board may enter into agreements with retired county employees who elect to obtain the coverage provided in subsection B. The agreements may include provision for the deduction from the retirement benefits of participants of a retirement program of this state who elect to obtain the coverage of amounts sufficient to pay for the premium and administrative expense of providing the coverage.

D. Public funds of this state shall not be expended to pay all or any part of the premium of insurance pursuant to subsection B, except that a county may expend its public funds to pay all or any part of the premium of insurance pursuant to subsection B.