Sec. 1551.055. GENERAL POWERS OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGARDING COVERAGE PLANS. The board of trustees may:

(1) prepare specifications for a coverage provided under this chapter;

(2) prescribe the time and conditions under which an employee, annuitant, or dependent is eligible for a coverage provided under this chapter;

(3) determine the methods and procedures of claims administration;

(4) determine the amount of payroll deductions and reductions applicable to employees and annuitants and establish procedures to implement those deductions and reductions;

(5) establish procedures for the board of trustees to decide contested cases arising from a coverage provided under this chapter;

(6) study, on an ongoing basis, the operation of all coverages provided under this chapter, including gross and net costs, administration costs, benefits, utilization of benefits, and claims administration;

(7) administer the employees life, accident, and health insurance and benefits fund;

(8) provide the beginning and ending dates of coverages of participants under all benefit plans;

(9) develop basic group coverage plans applicable to all individuals eligible to participate in the group benefits program under Sections 1551.101 and 1551.102;

(10) provide for optional group coverage plans in addition to the basic group coverage plans;

(11) provide, as the board of trustees determines is appropriate, either additional statewide optional coverage plans or individual agency coverage plans;

(12) develop health benefit plans that permit access to high-quality, cost-effective health care;

(13) design, implement, and monitor health benefit plan features intended to discourage excessive utilization, promote efficiency, and contain costs;

(14) develop and refine, on an ongoing basis, a health benefit strategy consistent with evolving benefit delivery systems;

(15) develop a funding strategy that efficiently uses employer contributions to achieve the purposes of this chapter and that is reasonable and ensures participants a fair choice among health benefit plans as provided by Section 1551.302; and

(16) appoint an advisory committee for the group benefits program under the terms provided by Section 815.509, Government Code.

Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1419, Sec. 3, eff. June 1, 2003. Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1276, Sec. 10A.406(a), eff. Sept. 1, 2003.