Bill to let retired law enforcement buy state coverage could cost state $2.5M–$5.25M annually, actuaries say

Representative (recorded as Acre/Akers in transcript) introduced House Bill 1257, which would allow city and county law enforcement officers who meet a full-retirement service requirement to purchase state employee health insurance until they reach Medicare eligibility. The sponsor said the measure responds to concerns from older officers who delay retirement because of insurance gaps between retirement and Medicare.

Actuaries from Siegel (identified on the record as Matt Kersting and Patrick Klein) presented a fiscal analysis: they estimated a net per-participant cost of roughly $8,000 annually after retiree contributions and modeled several enrollment scenarios. Using those assumptions they estimated an annual program cost in a range of approximately $2.5 million to $5.25 million, noting the liability could be recorded as a state obligation unless funding is shifted to participating cities and counties.

Committee members pressed sponsors on an anticipated amendment that would permit municipalities to opt in and assume costs. Several senators said they would not support advancing the bill from committee unless the statutory language explicitly made municipal cost-sharing an option, acknowledging some local governments may be unable to afford participation.

What happens next: Sponsors committed to drafting an amendment that would allow cities and counties to pick up the cost; committee members said they would expect that language before a committee vote to avoid state general-revenue liability.