Mass. Gen. Laws » Part I Title IV Chapter 32B
Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 32B, § 15 (2026)

Insurance coverage for employees of governmental units; appropriation or expenditure of public funds for payment of premiums

✓ current as of July 2026
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Section 15. (a) Upon acceptance of this subsection by its appropriate public authority and subject to any necessary appropriation, a governmental unit, acting by and through its appropriate public authority, may offer its employees a policy or policies of group long-term disability insurance, group dental insurance or group vision care insurance. A governmental unit may contract for such insurance coverage individually or through its membership in a trust or joint purchase group as provided in section twelve of this chapter. A governmental unit may elect to pay any part or none of the premium cost for such insurance coverage for its employees, and may bargain for such insurance coverage collectively.

(b) No governmental unit may appropriate or expend public funds for the payment of premiums for group life insurance, group accidental death and dismemberment insurance and group general or blanket hospital, surgical, medical, dental and other health insurance for its active or retired employees, or their dependents, unless such insurance is procured pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, or unless such payments are authorized by section five of chapter forty, or unless such payments are made, pursuant to an agreement of an employer and an employee organization, to a health and welfare trust fund agreement for the purposes of (i) providing health benefits not otherwise provided to such employees by said governmental unit under the provisions of this chapter or (ii) paying contributions by said governmental unit toward premium costs or rates in excess of the level of such premium cost or rate contributions otherwise provided for under the provisions of this chapter or (iii) providing health benefits required under this chapter. This subsection shall not apply to the county of Worcester.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 6 cases, 1972–2000 · leading case: Kerrigan v. City of Boston, 278 N.E.2d 387 (Mass. 1972).
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Kerrigan v. City of Boston, 278 N.E.2d 387 (Mass. 1972). · cites it 5× “231A declaring that the defendant city of Boston (the city) is empowered to make certain payments to the Fund as agreed in a collective bargaining agreement made between the union and the city, acting through the Boston School Committee (the school committee), and that such…”
Watertown Firefighters, L. 1347, Iaff v. Watertown, 383 N.E.2d 494 (Mass. 1978). “* 11 Thus we see that the insurance provision of the union’s offer, embodied in the award, offended against the statutory scheme (rendered exclusive by G. L. c. 32B, § 15 12 ). The town would be required to make an increased contribution, although it had not legislated the…”
Connors v. City of Boston, 430 Mass. 31 (Mass. 1999). “Section 15 (b) provides explicitly that the city may not “appropriate or expend public funds” for the payment of group health insurance premiums for its active or retired employees, *38 or their dependents, “unless such insurance is procured pursuant to the provisions of this…”
Middleborough Gas & Elec. Dep't v. Town of Middleborough, 721 N.E.2d 936 (Mass. App. Ct. 2000). · cites it 4× “See G. L. c. 32B, § 15. There is nothing in the record to suggest that there is such an agreement here.”
Anderson v. Bd. of Selectmen of Wrentham, 548 N.E.2d 1230 (Mass. 1990). “However, a municipal employer may pay *514 a higher premium percentage for certain employees pursuant to G. L. c. 32B, § 15, as appearing in St. 1988, c.”
Morin v. Massachusetts Blue Cross, Inc., 311 N.E.2d 914 (Mass. 1974). “If this was “other health insurance” within G. L. c. 32B, § 15, the requirements of the statute would not have been satisfied, and the program would fail.”
— Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 32B, § 15(b) — 1 case
Middleborough Gas & Elec. Dep't v. Town of Middleborough, 721 N.E.2d 936 (Mass. App. Ct. 2000). “See G. L. c. 32B, § 15. There is nothing in the record to suggest that there is such an agreement here.”
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