1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to health; requiring employers to report 
  1.3             access to employer-subsidized insurance on W-2 forms 
  1.4             for purposes of determining eligibility under the 
  1.5             MinnesotaCare program; amending Minnesota Statutes 
  1.6             1996, sections 256.9355, subdivision 2; and 289A.09, 
  1.7             by adding a subdivision. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 256.9355, 
  1.10  subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  1.11     Subd. 2.  [COMMISSIONER'S DUTIES.] The commissioner shall 
  1.12  use individuals' social security numbers as identifiers for 
  1.13  purposes of administering the plan and conduct data matches to 
  1.14  verify income.  Applicants shall submit evidence of family 
  1.15  income, earned and unearned, including the most recent income 
  1.16  tax return and any form W-2 wage and tax statements, wage slips, 
  1.17  or other documentation that is necessary to verify income 
  1.18  eligibility.  The commissioner shall perform random audits to 
  1.19  verify reported income and eligibility.  The commissioner may 
  1.20  execute data sharing arrangements with the department of revenue 
  1.21  and any other governmental agency in order to perform income 
  1.22  verification related to eligibility and premium payment under 
  1.23  the MinnesotaCare program. 
  1.24     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 289A.09, is 
  1.25  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.26     Subd. 4.  [EMPLOYER-SUBSIDIZED HEALTH COVERAGE.] An 
  2.1   employer required to deduct and withhold tax under section 
  2.2   290.92 shall report to the employee on the form required by 
  2.3   section 6051 of the Internal Revenue Code whether the employer 
  2.4   provides the employee with access to employer-subsidized health 
  2.5   coverage, as defined in section 256.9357, subdivision 2.  The 
  2.6   commissioner shall provide employers with instructions for 
  2.7   complying with this subdivision. 
  2.8      Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.9      Sections 1 and 2 are effective for tax years beginning on 
  2.10  or after January 1, 1997.