Texas Insurance Code Title 8, Chapter 1601 - Uniform Insurance Benefits Act For Employees Of The University Of Texas System And The Texas A&m University System

SUBCHAPTER A GENERAL PROVISIONS

• Texas Section 1601.001 - Short Title
  This chapter may be cited as the State University Employees Uniform Insurance Benefits Act. Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1419, Sec. 3, eff....
• Texas Section 1601.002 - Purposes
  The purposes of this chapter are to: (1) provide uniformity in the basic group life, accident, and health benefit coverages for all system employees; (2)...
• Texas Section 1601.003 - General Definitions
  In this chapter: (1) "Administering carrier" means a carrier or organization that is: (A) qualified to engage in business in this state; and (B) designated...
• Texas Section 1601.004 - Definition Of Dependent
  (a) In this chapter, "dependent," with respect to an individual eligible to participate in the uniform program under Section 1601.101 or 1601.102, means the individual's:...
• Texas Section 1601.005 - Definition Of Carrier
  In this chapter, "carrier" means: (1) an insurance company that is authorized by the department to provide under this code any of the types of...
• Texas Section 1601.006 - Applicability Of Definitions
  The definition of a term defined by this subchapter and the use of the terms "employee" and "retired employee" as described by Sections 1601.101 and...
• Texas Section 1601.007 - System May Define Other Words
  A system may define by rule a word or term necessary in the administration of this chapter. Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1419,...
• Texas Section 1601.008 - Exemption From Execution
  All insurance benefits and other payments and transactions made under this chapter to a participant under this chapter are exempt from execution, attachment, garnishment, or...
• Texas Section 1601.009 - Exemption From Taxation And Fees
  Premiums on a policy, an insurance contract, or an agreement established under this chapter with a health maintenance organization are not subject to any state...
• Texas Section 1601.010 - Certain Combining Of Carriers Not Restraint Of Trade
  Carriers combining to bid, underwrite, or both bid and underwrite, a group life, accident, or health benefit plan for the uniform program are not in...

SUBCHAPTER B ADMINISTRATION AND IMPLEMENTATION

• Texas Section 1601.011 - Participation Of The Texas A&m University System
  Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, if The Texas A&M University System elects to participate in the group benefits program under Section 1551.006(c), that...
• Texas Section 1601.051 - Administration And Implementation
  A system shall: (1) implement a uniform program for the benefit of its employees and retired employees; and (2) determine basic procedural and administrative practices...
• Texas Section 1601.052 - Rulemaking Authority
  A system shall adopt rules consistent with this chapter as it considers necessary to implement this chapter and its purposes. Added by Acts 2001, 77th...
• Texas Section 1601.053 - General Duties Relating To Coverage
  (a) A system shall: (1) determine basic coverage standards that must be comparable to those commonly provided: (A) in private industry; and (B) to employees...
• Texas Section 1601.054 - Competitive Bidding Required
  A system shall submit the uniform program, including any agreement under which a carrier is engaged to administer a self-insured program, for competitive bidding at...
• Texas Section 1601.055 - Identification Of Administrative Costs In Bids
  A system shall include in its respective bid documents for the various coverages a provision calling for each bidder to identify the system's administrative costs...
• Texas Section 1601.056 - Information On Bidders And Bidding Contracts
  (a) The department shall, on request by a system, provide a list of all carriers: (1) authorized to engage in business in this state; and...
• Texas Section 1601.057 - Selection Of Bids
  (a) A system is not required to select the lowest bid under Section 1601.054 but shall take into consideration other relevant criteria, such as ability...
• Texas Section 1601.058 - Selection Of Health Maintenance Organizations
  A system shall select and contract for services performed by health maintenance organizations that are approved by this state to offer health care services in...
• Texas Section 1601.059 - Certificate Of Coverage
  A system shall ensure that each employee and retired employee participating under this chapter is issued a certificate of coverage that states: (1) the benefits...
• Texas Section 1601.060 - Accounting By Carrier Providing Purchased Coverage
  (a) A carrier providing coverage purchased under this chapter to a system shall provide an accounting for each line of coverage to the system not...
• Texas Section 1601.061 - Special Reserve
  (a) A carrier issuing a group coverage plan under this chapter may hold as a special reserve for a system an amount that equals the...
• Texas Section 1601.062 - Reports And Records By Administering Carrier
  Each contract entered into under this chapter between a system and an administering carrier must: (1) require the administering carrier to provide reasonable reports that...
• Texas Section 1601.063 - Assistance In Requesting Money
  The Legislative Budget Board and the Governor's Budget and Planning Office shall: (1) establish procedures to ensure that each system requests appropriate money to support...

SUBCHAPTER C COVERAGE AND PARTICIPATION

• Texas Section 1601.064 - Pharmacy Benefit Manager Contracts
  (a) In awarding a contract to provide pharmacy benefit manager services under this chapter, a system is not required to select the lowest bid but...
• Texas Section 1601.101 - Participation Eligibility: Employees
  (a) An individual who is employed by the governing board of a system, who performs service, other than as an independent contractor, for the system,...
• Texas Section 1601.102 - Participation Eligibility: Retirees
  (a) An individual who retires in a manner described by this section and who meets the requirements of Subsection (f) is eligible to participate, subject...
• Texas Section 1601.1021 - Participation Eligibility: Certain Postdoctoral Fellows And Graduate Students
  (a) An individual who is not eligible to participate in the uniform program under Section 1601.101 is eligible to participate in the uniform program under...
• Texas Section 1601.103 - Right To Coverage
  An individual eligible to participate in the uniform program under Section 1601.101 or 1601.102 may not be denied enrollment in any coverage provided under this...
• Texas Section 1601.104 - Automatic Coverage
  (a) A system shall automatically provide the basic coverage to each full-time employee unless the employee has: (1) waived participation in the basic coverage; or...
• Texas Section 1601.1045 - Date Eligibility Begins; Waiting Period
  (a) Except as provided by Subsection (c), (d), or (e), eligibility under Section 1601.101 begins on the first day of the calendar month that begins...
• Texas Section 1601.105 - Waiver
  An employee or retired employee may waive in writing any coverage provided under this chapter. Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1419, Sec. 3,...
• Texas Section 1601.106 - Optional Coverage
  A system shall provide optional coverage in accordance with Section 1601.201. Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1419, Sec. 3, eff. June 1, 2003.
• Texas Section 1601.107 - Coverage For Dependents
  An individual who is eligible to participate in the uniform program under Section 1601.101, 1601.102, or 1601.1021 is entitled to secure for a dependent of...
• Texas Section 1601.108 - Coverage Options For Certain Surviving Spouses
  (a) This section applies only to the surviving spouse of: (1) an individual eligible to participate in the uniform program under Section 1601.101 who had...
• Texas Section 1601.109 - Coverage For Aids, Hiv, Or Serious Mental Illness
  (a) In this section, "serious mental illness" has the meaning assigned by Section 1355.001. (b) A system may not contract for or provide for group...
• Texas Section 1601.110 - Disease Management Services
  (a) In this section, "disease management services" means services to assist an individual manage a disease or other chronic health condition, such as heart disease,...

SUBCHAPTER D GROUP COVERAGES

• Texas Section 1601.111 - Programs Promoting Disease Prevention, Wellness, And Health
  A system may establish premium discounts, surcharges, rebates, or a revision in otherwise applicable copayments, coinsurance, or deductibles, or any combination of those incentives, for...
• Texas Section 1601.151 - Authority To Self-insure; Exemption From Other Insurance Laws
  (a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, the governing board of a system may: (1) self-insure a plan provided under this chapter; and (2)...
• Texas Section 1601.152 - Cafeteria Plan
  (a) The governing board of a system may develop, implement, and administer a cafeteria plan. (b) The governing board may include in the cafeteria plan...
• Texas Section 1601.153 - Systems May Join In Procuring Insurance
  The systems may join together to procure one or more group contracts with an insurance company authorized to engage in business in this state to...
• Texas Section 1601.154 - Long-term Care Coverage
  (a) A system may join with a board of trustees that administers the uniform program established under Chapter 1551 or the group program established under...

SUBCHAPTER E PAYMENTS, CONTRIBUTIONS, AND COSTS

• Texas Section 1601.155 - Reinsurance
  A system may arrange with an administering carrier issuing a policy under this chapter for the reinsurance of portions of the total amount of insurance...
• Texas Section 1601.201 - Payment For Coverage
  (a) A system may not contribute more than the amounts specified by this section for coverages provided under the uniform program. (b) For an employee...
• Texas Section 1601.202 - Fees For Cafeteria Plan
  (a) The governing board of a system may establish a monthly fee in an amount set by the board to be paid by each employee...
• Texas Section 1601.203 - Payment For Coverage For Dependents
  Contributions for coverages for a dependent of an individual eligible to participate in the uniform program under Section 1601.101 or 1601.102 required of the participant...
• Texas Section 1601.204 - Authorization Of Employee Deduction
  (a) Except for a participant who participates in a cafeteria plan, each individual eligible to participate in the uniform program under Section 1601.101 must authorize...
• Texas Section 1601.2041 - Employee Deduction For Automatic Coverage
  Each individual automatically enrolled in a uniform program under Section 1601.104 is considered to have authorized a deduction from the participant's monthly compensation in an...
• Texas Section 1601.205 - Employee Payments For Participation In Cafeteria Plan
  (a) If an employee elects to participate in a cafeteria plan, the employee must execute a salary reduction agreement under which the employee's monthly compensation...
• Texas Section 1601.206 - Payment By Retired Employee
  An individual eligible to participate in the uniform program under Section 1601.102 must execute an agreement and make appropriate contributions in a manner analogous to...
• Texas Section 1601.207 - System Contributions
  A system shall contribute monthly to the cost of each participant's coverage provided under this chapter an amount: (1) if the participants are compensated from...
• Texas Section 1601.208 - Amount Of System Contribution
  Not later than November 1 preceding each regular session of the legislature, each system shall certify to the Legislative Budget Board and the budget division...
• Texas Section 1601.209 - Order Of Precedence Of Payment To Survivors
  (a) The amount of group life coverages and group accidental death and dismemberment coverages in force for a participant on the date the participant dies...

SUBCHAPTER F CAFETERIA PLAN FUND

• Texas Section 1601.210 - Provision Of Necessary Information
  The Teacher Retirement System of Texas, Optional Retirement Program carriers, and Employees Retirement System of Texas shall provide to each system information the system considers...
• Texas Section 1601.251 - System Cafeteria Plan Fund
  (a) The governing board of each system may establish and administer a cafeteria plan fund. (b) The following shall be credited to the cafeteria plan...
• Texas Section 1601.252 - Use Of Fund
  The cafeteria plan fund of a system is available without fiscal year limitation: (1) for all payments for any benefits included in a cafeteria plan...

SUBCHAPTER G ADVISORY COMMITTEE

• Texas Section 1601.253 - Investment Of Money In Fund
  (a) The governing board of a system may invest the money in the system's cafeteria plan fund. (b) The earnings, including interest, and the proceeds...
• Texas Section 1601.301 - Advisory Committee
  An advisory committee for each system shall be selected, serve, and perform duties as provided by this subchapter. Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch....
• Texas Section 1601.302 - Election Of Members
  One member of the advisory committee shall be elected from each of the components, units, or agencies of the system: (1) at times designated by...
• Texas Section 1601.303 - Qualifications Of Members
  (a) A member of a system's advisory committee must be an employee of the system. (b) A member must: (1) demonstrate mature judgment, special abilities,...
• Texas Section 1601.304 - Terms
  A member of the advisory committee is elected for a two-year term, subject to reelection. Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1419, Sec. 3,...
• Texas Section 1601.305 - Officers
  Annually, the members of a system's advisory committee shall elect a presiding officer and other necessary officers. Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1419,...
• Texas Section 1601.306 - Vacancy
  The chief executive officer of a component, unit, or agency of a system shall appoint to the system's advisory committee an employee of the component,...
• Texas Section 1601.307 - Duties Of Committee
  (a) The advisory committee of a system shall cooperate and work with the governing board of the system in coordinating and correlating the administration of...
• Texas Section 1601.308 - Expenses
  (a) A member's service on the advisory committee of a system is in addition to the duties of the member's state office or employment. (b)...

Last modified: September 28, 2016