(a) The board shall conduct a study on providing health insurance benefits, including vision and dental care benefits, for active, disabled, and retired members, beneficiaries, children, and dependent parents. The health insurance may include vision and dental care.

(b) The study shall include, but not be limited to, assessing the lack of access of health insurance benefits for retired teachers and shall evaluate the following:

(1) The demand for health insurance benefits.

(2) The integration of health insurance benefits and Medicare coverage.

(3) The manner in which health insurance benefits would be administered and provided.

(c) There is hereby appropriated from the Teachers’ Retirement Fund to the State Teachers’ Retirement Board the sum of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) conduct a study for the purposes identified in this section. If this study results in the implementation of health insurance benefits as described in subdivision (a), the State Teachers’ Retirement Board shall reimburse the sum of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) to the Teachers’ Retirement Fund from administrative fees charged to recipients of the health insurance benefits.

(Added by Stats. 1998, Ch. 968, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1999.)