(a) Regular Employees. The City shall provide to its regular employees and their spouses and dependents, a group policy or policies of insurance covering health, hospital and medical treatment. The City and employees shall share in the cost of the premiums thereon. Employees hired after the date of this section shall be enrolled in the group health plan designated by the City as the most cost efficient policy. The health insurance shall not be available to provisional, temporary or emergency employees.
(b) Retirement; Death. At which times as a participating employee (“employee” being defined herein as all regular employees, excluding those covered under civil service) of the City shall retire from his or her employment and is not less than fifty with no less than twenty years of service, such employee may remain a member of the group insurance plan designated by the City and retain coverage for his or her spouse and dependents. Such retiring employee shall be required to pay one-half of the premium cost for him (her) self and for his or her spouse and dependents and the City shall pay the remaining one-half of the premium cost involved. Spouses and dependents of any deceased member may also remain members of the group insurance plan by paying one-half of the premium cost for such coverage and the City shall pay the remaining one-half of the premium cost involved. If a spouse of a deceased member should remarry, he or she would no longer be eligible for the group insurance plan. Any termination of employment by a participating employee due to a medically certified disability shall constitute retirement for the purpose of remaining a member of the group insurance plan, and such disabled employee and his or her spouse and dependents shall be eligible to remain members of the group insurance plan by paying one-half of the premium cost thereon, and the City shall pay the remaining one-half of such premium cost; provided, however, that in the event such disabled employee should, thereafter, obtain gainful employment, he or she and spouse and dependents shall no longer be eligible to remain members of such group insurance plan and any obligation on the City to pay any portion of the premium cost shall terminate.
(c) Optional Retirement and Health Insurance. Employees hired prior to January 1, 1997, shall have the option of using the former eligibility rules pertaining to retirement and health insurance, to-wit: age fifty-five with seven years service.
(Passed 5-8-97.)