Section 66.0137. Provision of insurance.

 

(1)   Definition. In this section:

(ae) “Local governmental unit" means a municipality, county, school district (as enumerated in s. 67.01 (5) ), sewerage district, drainage district, and, without limitation because of enumeration, any other political subdivision of the state.

(b) “Municipality" means any city, village, or town.

(2)   Liability and worker's compensation insurance. The state or a local governmental unit may procure risk management services and liability insurance covering the state or local governmental unit and its officers, agents and employees and worker's compensation insurance covering officers and employees of the state or local governmental unit. A local governmental unit may participate in and pay the cost of risk management services and liability and worker's compensation insurance through a municipal insurance mutual organized under s. 611.23 .

(3)   Health insurance for unemployed persons. Any municipality or county may purchase health or dental insurance for unemployed persons residing in the municipality or county who are not eligible for medical assistance under s. 49.46 , 49.468 , 49.47 , or 49.471 (4) (a) .

(4)   Self-insured health plans. If a city, including a 1st class city, or a village provides health care benefits under its home rule power, or if a town provides health care benefits, to its officers and employees on a self-insured basis, the self-insured plan shall comply with ss. 49.493 (3) (d) , 631.89 , 631.90 , 631.93 (2) , 632.746 (10) (a) 2. and (b) 2. , 632.747 (3) , 632.798 , 632.85 , 632.853 , 632.855 , 632.867 , 632.87 (4) , (5) , and (6) , 632.885 , 632.89 , 632.895 (9) to (17) , 632.896 , and 767.513 (4) .

(4m)   Joint self-insured plans and stop loss insurance.

(a) Notwithstanding sub. (1) (ae) , in this subsection, “local governmental unit" means a city, village, town, county, or school district.

(b) A local governmental unit and one or more other local governmental units, that together have at least 100 employees, may jointly provide health care benefits to their officers and employees on a self insured basis.

(bm) A technical college district and one or more other technical college districts, that together have at least 100 employees, may jointly do any of the following:

1. Provide health care benefits to their officers and employees on a self-insured basis.

2. Procure stop loss insurance.

3. Self-insure stop loss risk.

(c) Any plan under par. (b) or (bm) 1. shall comply with the provisions listed in sub. (4) .

(4t)   Health insurance for protective services employees. If a 1st class city offers health care insurance to employees who are police officers, fire fighters, or emergency medical technicians, the 1st class city shall also offer to the employees who are police officers, fire fighters, or emergency medical technicians a high-deductible health plan.

(5)   Hospital, accident and life insurance.

(a) In this subsection, “local governmental unit" includes the school district operating under ch. 119 .

(b) The state or a local governmental unit may provide for the payment of premiums for hospital, surgical and other health and accident insurance and life insurance for employees and officers, their spouses and dependent children, and their domestic partners under ch. 770 and dependent children. A local governmental unit may also provide for the payment of premiums for hospital and surgical care for its retired employees. In addition, a local governmental unit may, by ordinance or resolution, elect to offer to all of its employees a health care coverage plan through a program offered by the group insurance board under ch. 40 . A local governmental unit that elects to participate under s. 40.51 (7) is subject to the applicable sections of ch. 40 instead of this subsection.

(c)

1. Except as provided in subds. 2. and 3. , if a municipality provides for the payment of premiums for hospital, surgical, and other health insurance for its fire fighters, it shall continue to pay such premiums for the surviving spouse and dependent children of a fire fighter who dies in the line of duty.

2. A municipality may not be required to pay the premiums described in subd. 1. for a surviving spouse upon the remarriage of the surviving spouse or upon the surviving spouse reaching the age of 65.

3. An individual is not a dependent child for the purposes of subd. 1. after the individual reaches the age of 18 unless one of the following applies:

a. The individual is a full-time student in a secondary school.

b. The individual is a full-time or part-time student in an accredited college or university, except that this subd. 3. b. does not apply to such an individual after the close of the calendar year in which the individual reaches the age of 27.

1999 a. 9 , 115 ; 1999 a. 150 ss. 34 , 303 to 306 ; Stats. 1999 s. 66.0137; 1999 a. 186 s. 63 ; 2001 a. 16 , 30 ; 2005 a. 194 ; 2005 a. 443 s. 265 ; 2007 a. 20 , 36 ; 2009 a. 14 , 28 , 146 , 180 , 218 , 276 , 285 ; 2011 a. 260 ; 2013 a. 20 ; 2013 a. 116 s. 29 ; 2013 a. 117 s. 2 , 3 ; 2013 a. 186 ; 2015 a. 55 . Section 66.185 [now sub. (5)] does not prohibit providing health insurance benefits to persons not listed in the statute if authority is granted by other statutes. Sections 120.12, 120.13, and 120.44, broadly construed as required by s. 118.001, grant broad powers, including that of providing insurance to persons not listed in this section. Pritchard v. Madison Metropolitan School District, 2001 WI App 62 , 242 Wis. 2d 301 , 625 N.W.2d 613 , 00-0848 . This section authorizes the purchase of liability insurance for state officers, agents, and employees for errors or omissions in carrying out the responsibility of their governmental positions. 58 Atty. Gen. 150.