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An Act To Assist Small Businesses in Providing Health Care for Their Employees
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 24-A MRSA §4321, sub-§4, ¶¶B, C, D, E and H, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 792, §3, are amended to read:
 
B. Providing information to consumers, and employers with 50 or fewer employees in accordance with subsection 5, regarding health care plan options and obtaining health care coverage and services. The division may not make any specific recommendations regarding commercially offered products;
 
C. Assisting enrollees and employers with 50 or fewer employees to understand their rights and responsibilities under health care plans;
 
D. Providing information to consumers and employers with 50 or fewer employees on health care plan performance by distributing materials and utilizing existing resources relating to health care plan performance;
 
E. Providing assistance to enrollees and employers with 50 or fewer employees with complaints relating to health care plans, when appropriate. The division may assist enrollees and employers with 50 or fewer employees with quality-of-care complaints by coordinating with the appropriate state health professional licensing boards and other appropriate state and federal oversight bodies with authority over quality-of-care complaints. The division shall defer any issues of professional competence to the appropriate state health professional licensing boards;
 
H. Promoting coordination between the division and other organizations that assist consumers and employers with 50 or fewer employees, including, but not limited to, legal assistance providers serving low-income health care consumers and other health care consumers, health insurance counseling assistance programs, the long-term care ombudsman program pursuant to Title 22, section 5106, subsection 11-C and assistance programs for individuals with disabilities established under federal or state law;
Sec. 2.  24-A MRSA §4321, sub-§5  is enacted to read:
 
5.  Assistance to employers with 50 or fewer employees.     The division shall provide education and resources to assist employers with 50 or fewer employees regarding health care options and obtaining health care coverage and services for their employees, including, but not limited to, options for coverage through the commercial group market, through association group coverage, through small business health options through the federal Affordable Care Act and through self-insurance.
 
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Bureau of Insurance, Consumer Health Care Division to provide education and resources to employers with 50 or fewer employees to assist with making decisions related to health care coverage for their employees.