CONTRACTOR, in exchange for the compensation paid by STATE under this contract, agrees to provide the following services: CONTRACTOR shall conduct for the Legislative Council, during the regular 2025 legislative session, a cost-benefit analysis of each legislative measure mandating health insurance coverage of services or payment for specified providers of services. Although the application of the mandate is initially limited to the public employee health insurance program and the public employee retiree health insurance program, CONTRACTOR’s analysis shall include an analysis of the effect on the public employee health insurance program, the public employee retiree health insurance program, as well as the commercially insured population in North Dakota. STATE and CONTRACTOR agree to the following terms: A. The Legislative Council agrees to notify in writing, which may be by electronic means, the Insurance Department and CONTRACTOR of the need for a cost-benefit analysis. B. A completed cost-benefit analysis conducted by CONTRACTOR must include: 1.The extent to which the proposed mandate would increase or decrease the cost of the service; 2.The extent to which the proposed mandate would increase the appropriate use of the service; 3.The extent to which the proposed mandate would increase or decrease the administrative expenses of insurers and the premium and administrative expenses of insureds; and 4.The impact of the proposed mandate on the total cost of healthcare. C. CONTRACTOR agrees to make available sufficient staff, and if necessary, to add staff to provide the Legislative Council and the Insurance Department each with a completed cost-benefit analysis; provided sufficient funds are available and the STATE timely provides any data necessary to perform the services. If any questions arise that would significantly impact the results of the analysis, CONTRACTOR will submit questions to the Legislative Council within three (3) days of receipt of each initial request. The Legislative Council will provide information on hearing dates, deadlines, and any other information provided by the respective standing committee chair regarding timeliness for the cost-benefit analysis, if necessary. If CONTRACTOR anticipates that in the exercise of due diligence it will not be able to provide a quality study within the time allowed for the study, it will notify the Legislative Council in writing of the time necessary to complete the study. The cost-benefit analysis must be in writing, which may be provided in electronic format. CONTRACTOR agrees to provide the Legislative Council and the Insurance Department with clarification of any completed cost-benefit analysis as may be requested by the Legislative Council or the Insurance Department. D. Proposed legislative measures, which require a health insurance mandate cost-benefit analysis, are to be submitted by December 13,2024, although they may be filed sooner than that day. For legislative measures filed by this deadline, CONTRACTOR shall provide a completed cost-benefit analysis, at the latest, by January 12, 2025.However, there is a chance that legislators may file measures after the December 13, 2024, deadline. In the event a legislator files a proposed measure, which requires a health insurance mandate cost-benefit analysis later than December 13, 2024, CONTRACTOR agrees to make available sufficient staff, and if necessary, to add staff to provide the Legislative Council and the Insurance Department each with a completed cost-benefit analysis, at the latest, by January 12, 2025 or within two (2)weeks of receipt of each initial request made by the Legislative Council for a given mandate, whichever is later in time. CONTRACTOR also agrees to make available sufficient staff and, if necessary, to add staff to provide the Legislative Council and the Insurance Department each with a completed cost-benefit analysis within seven (7) days for each request related to a mandate for which a completed cost-benefit analysis has previously been delivered. The Parties shall follow the procedures set forth in Section 1(c) of the Scope of Work, in the event questions arise related to cost-benefit analyses on bills submitted after December 13,2024.
