A. Except as otherwise provided by statute, contract or collective bargaining agreement, an employer may establish a medical care savings account program for his employees.

B. In establishing the program, the employer shall:

(1) provide a qualified higher deductible health plan for the benefit of his employees;

(2) contribute to medical care savings accounts for the employees; and

(3) appoint an account administrator to administer the savings accounts.

C. Principal contributed to and interest earned on a medical care savings account and money paid for eligible medical expenses are exempt from taxation under the Income Tax Act [Chapter 7, Article 2 NMSA 1978].

D. Before establishing a program, the employer shall notify all employees in writing of the federal tax status of the program and how federal income taxation affects New Mexico income taxes.

E. Any compensation required by the account administrator to administer the program shall be paid by the employer, and the employer shall not require the employee to contribute to such compensation while the employee participates in the program. If the employee ceases to participate in the program, he shall be responsible for costs associated with his account.

F. Nothing in the Medical Care Savings Account Act prohibits the employer from requiring the employee to contribute to the qualified higher deductible health plan or the medical care savings account.

G. Nothing in the Medical Care Savings Account Act requires an employee to participate in a program. The employer shall offer the program to all employees on a nondiscriminatory basis.

History: Laws 1995, ch. 93, § 4; 2001, ch. 194, § 1.

The 2001 amendment, effective June 15, 2001, in Subsection C, substituted "paid" for "reimbursed from the savings account to an employee" and deleted the second sentence, containing a definition of "reimbursement".