(A) As used in this section, "medical insurance premium" means any premium payment made under a contract with an insurance company, nonprofit health plan, health insuring corporation, or any combination of such organizations, pursuant to section 124.82 of the Revised Code.

(B) After the general election in each even-numbered year, the clerk of the senate, with the assistance of the department of administrative services, shall estimate the cost of the medical insurance premiums that will be necessary to provide coverage, on the same basis as for a similarly situated state employee, for each person who is elected to a term as senator at such election, or appointed to fill the unexpired portion of any such term, and any of the senator's dependents qualified for coverage at the time the senator assumes office. Using this estimate, the clerk shall determine a fixed amount to be paid by the state in equal monthly installments on behalf of the senator each year of the senator's term as a medical insurance premium, but in no event in an amount to exceed the total premium required in any month by the contract of the state by the carrier. Any amount not paid in such a case shall be placed in reserve and applied against any subsequent month's premium up to the full amount thereof until the entire amount has been paid along with the original estimate for each month. This fixed amount shall be such that, as nearly as can be predicted, the sum of the monthly premiums paid for the senator during the senator's term shall equal the total amount of medical insurance premiums that will be paid for such an employee, as required by section 124.82 of the Revised Code, during that term. The senator shall pay the difference between the amount so fixed and the total premium required by the contract of the state with the carrier.

(C) After the general election in each even-numbered year, the chief administrative officer of the house of representatives, with the assistance of the department of administrative services, shall estimate the cost of the medical insurance premiums that will be necessary to provide coverage, on the same basis as for a similarly situated state employee, for each person who is elected to a term as representative at such election, or appointed to fill the unexpired portion of any such term, and any of the representative's dependents qualified for coverage at the time the representative assumes office. Using this estimate, the chief administrator officer shall determine a fixed amount to be paid by the state in equal monthly installments on behalf of the representative each year of the representative's term as a medical insurance premium, but in no event in an amount to exceed the total premium required in any month by the contract of the state with the carrier. Any amount not paid in such a case shall be placed in reserve and applied against any subsequent month's premium up to the full amount thereof until the entire reserve has been paid along with the original estimate for each month. This fixed amount shall be such that, as nearly as can be predicted, the sum of the monthly premiums paid for the representative during the representative's term shall equal the total amount of medical insurance premiums that will be paid for such an employee, as required by section 124.82 of the Revised Code, during that term. The representative shall pay the difference between the amount so fixed and the total premium required by the contract of the state with the carrier.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999.