00                      CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 356(STA)                                                                    
01 "An Act establishing the Advisory Committee on Wellness; and relating to the                                            
02 administration of state group health insurance policies."                                                               
03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
04    * Section 1. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section                          
05 to read:                                                                                                                
06       LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT. (a) The legislature finds that                                                   
07            (1)  individual Alaskans and the state share the burden of increasing health care                            
08 and insurance costs resulting from avoidable disease in humans;                                                         
09            (2)  state policy should focus more on avoiding disease and maintaining good                                 
10 health in the state's population;                                                                                       
11            (3)  the state relies partly on federal one-size-fits-all human health policy                                
12 recommendations, creating federal overreach into the state's administration of health policy;                           
13            (4)  the state's human health policies should incorporate peer-reviewed                                      
14 scientific studies that illustrate health-related differences between the population of the state                       

01 and the populations of other states;                                                                                    
02            (5)  the health policies of the state can affect the frequency and severity of                               
03 disease present in the state's population;                                                                              
04            (6)  by establishing wellness initiatives to decrease the frequency and severity                             
05 of disease present in the state's population, the state can slow the rate of annual growth in the                       
06 state's cost of providing health care benefits to persons who are covered by a policy of group                          
07 health insurance obtained under AS 39.30.090(a) or 39.30.091(a).                                                        
08       (b)  It is the intent of the legislature that, by establishing a wellness committee and                           
09 wellness initiatives that create incentives and methods to decrease the frequency and severity                          
10 of disease in the state's population, the state will slow the rate of growth in the state's cost of                     
11 providing health care benefits to persons who are covered by a policy of group health                                   
12 insurance obtained under AS 39.30.090(a) or 39.30.091(a) to a rate that does not exceed two                             
13 percent annually.                                                                                                       
14    * Sec. 2. AS 39.30.090(a) is amended by adding a new paragraph to read:                                            
15                 (13)  To the greatest extent legally and reasonably practicable, the                                    
16       Department of Administration shall work to hold the escalation of health care costs to                            
17       less than two percent annually by administering policies of group health insurance                                
18       obtained under this subsection in a manner that is likely to reduce the incidence of                              
19       disease in the state's population and that facilitates implementation of the                                      
20       recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Wellness established under                                           
21       AS 39.30.093.                                                                                                     
22    * Sec. 3. AS 39.30.091 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:                                              
23            (b)  To the greatest extent legally and reasonably practicable, the Department                               
24       of Administration shall work to hold the escalation of health care costs to less than two                         
25       percent annually by administering policies of group health insurance obtained under                               
26       this section in a manner that is likely to reduce the incidence of disease in the state's                         
27       population and that facilitates implementation of the recommendations of the                                      
28       Advisory Committee on Wellness established under AS 39.30.093.                                                    
29    * Sec. 4. AS 39.30 is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                     
30            Sec. 39.30.093. Advisory Committee on Wellness. (a) The Advisory                                           
31       Committee on Wellness is established in the Department of Administration. The                                     

01       committee consists of at least seven volunteer members appointed by the                                           
02       commissioner of administration who serve at the pleasure of the commissioner.                                     
03            (b)  The committee shall select one of its members as chair.                                                 
04            (c)  The commissioner shall appoint members who represent each region of the                                 
05       state to give the committee a reasonable geographic balance among regions of the state                            
06       and shall appoint at least one member who is a professional provider of medical                                   
07       services.                                                                                                         
08            (d)  The committee shall meet at the call of the chair or at the request of a                                
09       majority of its members. A member may attend a meeting by telephone or other means                                
10       of telecommunication.                                                                                             
11            (e)  At intervals of six months, the committee shall make recommendations to                                 
12       the commissioner of administration regarding the adoption of wellness initiatives to                              
13       improve the physical and mental health of persons who are covered by a policy of                                  
14       group health insurance obtained under AS 39.30.090(a) or 39.30.091(a).                                            
15            (f)  Not later than six months after receiving a recommendation made under (d)                               
16       of this section, the commissioner of administration shall provide to the committee a                              
17       report on the commissioner's progress in advancing the recommendation and the                                     
18       recommendation's effect on                                                                                        
19                 (1)  the health of the population covered by a policy of group health                                   
20       insurance obtained under AS 39.30.090(a) or 39.30.091(a);                                                         
21                 (2)  the state's cost of providing health care to persons who are covered                               
22       by a policy of group health insurance obtained under AS 39.30.090(a) or 39.30.091(a).                             
23            (g)  Members of the committee serve without compensation.