Sec. 31-51p. Membership in health care center as part of health benefits plan. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 31-51p. Membership in health care center as part of health benefits plan. (a) All employers subject to the provisions of chapter 567 employing twenty-five or more employees shall, at the request of a health care center, include in any health benefits plan offered to their employees the option of membership in a health care center, provided such health care center serves an area in which at least twenty-five employees of such employer reside.

      (b) For those employees of an employer represented by a bargaining representative, the offer of the health care center alternative shall be made in a manner which is consistent with the collective bargaining process.

      (c) If there is more than one health care center which is engaged in the provision of health services in the area in which at least twenty-five eligible employees of the employer reside and which has requested inclusion in the health benefits plan offered by the employer, the employer shall be required to offer the option of membership in (1) at least one health care center which provides health services primarily through staff physicians or medical groups or a combination thereof; and (2) at least one health care center which arranges for the delivery of health services primarily through physicians who provide services out of their own offices, provided that health care centers in the area differ in their primary method of health service delivery.

      (d) No employer shall be required to pay more for health benefits as a result of the application of subsection (b) of section 38a-199, subsection (b) of section 38a-214 or this section than would otherwise be required by any prevailing collective bargaining agreement or other legally enforceable contract for the provision of health benefits between an employer and its employees.

      (e) Each employer required to offer the option of membership in a health care center pursuant to the provisions of this section and which provides payroll deductions as a means of paying employees' contributions for health benefits shall, with the consent of an employee who exercises such option, provide for the collection of employee premiums through payroll deductions provided such payroll deductions are made for employees who choose other health benefits options.

      (P.A. 83-216, S. 3.)