Connecticut 2021 2021 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00843 Comm Sub / Bill

Filed 04/07/2021

                     
 
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General Assembly  Raised Bill No. 843  
January Session, 2021 
LCO No. 2689 
 
 
Referred to Committee on INSURANCE AND REAL ESTATE  
 
 
Introduced by:  
(INS)  
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E REGULATION OF INSURANCE IN THIS 
STATE.  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Section 38a-495c of the general statutes is repealed and the 1 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 2 
(a) Each insurance company, fraternal benefit society, hospital service 3 
corporation, medical service corporation, health care center or other 4 
entity in this state that delivers, issues for delivery, continues or renews 5 
any Medicare supplement insurance policies or certificates shall base 6 
the premium rates charged on a community rate. Such rate shall not be 7 
based on age, gender, previous claims history or the medical condition 8 
of the person covered by such policy or certificate. Except as provided 9 
in subsection (c) of this section, coverage shall not be denied on the basis 10 
of age, gender, previous claim history or the medical condition of the 11 
person covered by such policy or certificate. 12 
(b) Nothing in this section shall prohibit an insurance company, 13 
fraternal benefit society, hospital service corporation, medical service 14  Raised Bill No. 843 
 
 
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corporation, health care center or other entity in this state issuing 15 
Medicare supplement insurance policies or certificates from using its 16 
usual and customary underwriting procedures, provided no such 17 
company, society, corporation, center or other entity shall issue a 18 
Medicare supplement policy or certificate based on the age, gender, 19 
previous claims history or the medical condition of the applicant. 20 
(c) Nothing in this section shall prohibit an insurance company, 21 
fraternal benefit society, hospital service corporation, medical service 22 
corporation, health care center or other entity in this state when granting 23 
coverage under a Medicare supplement policy or certificate from 24 
excluding benefits for losses incurred within six months from the 25 
effective date of coverage based on a preexisting condition, in 26 
accordance with section 38a-495a and the regulations adopted pursuant 27 
to section 38a-495a. 28 
(d) Each insurance company, fraternal benefit society, hospital 29 
service corporation, medical service corporation, health care center or 30 
other entity in the state issuing Medicare supplement policies or 31 
certificates for plan "A", "B", [or] "C" or "D", or any combination thereof, 32 
to persons eligible for Medicare by reason of age, shall offer for sale the 33 
same such policies or certificates to persons eligible for Medicare by 34 
reason of disability, except no such company, society, corporation, 35 
center or other entity issuing any Medicare supplement policy or 36 
certificate for plan "C" shall be required to offer for sale such policy or 37 
certificate to any person who is a newly eligible Medicare beneficiary, 38 
as defined in 42 USC 1395ss(z)(2). 39 
(e) To the extent permissible by federal law, each insurance company, 40 
fraternal benefit society, hospital service corporation, medical service 41 
corporation, health care center or other entity in the state issuing 42 
Medicare supplement policies or certificates for plan "A", "B", [or] "C" or 43 
"D", or any combination thereof, may deliver or issue for delivery such 44 
policy to a qualified Medicare beneficiary, as defined in 42 USC 45 
1396d(p). 46  Raised Bill No. 843 
 
 
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(f) Each insurance company, fraternal benefit society, hospital service 47 
corporation, medical service corporation, health care center or other 48 
entity in the state issuing Medicare supplement policies or certificates 49 
shall make all necessary arrangements with the Medicare Part B carrier 50 
and all Medicare Part A intermediaries to allow for the forwarding, to 51 
the issuing entity, of all Medicare claims containing the name of the 52 
entity issuing a Medicare supplement policy or certificate and the 53 
identification number of an insured. The entity issuing the Medicare 54 
supplement policy or certificate shall process all benefits available to an 55 
insured from a Medicare claim so forwarded, without requiring any 56 
additional action on the part of the insured. 57 
(g) The Insurance Commissioner may adopt regulations, in 58 
accordance with chapter 54, to implement this section.  59 
Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 38a-688a of the general statutes is 60 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective June 61 
30, 2021): 62 
(a) Notwithstanding the requirements of sections 38a-389 and 38a-63 
688 with respect to personal risk insurance with the exception of 64 
residual market rates, and on and after July 1, 2006, and until July 1, 65 
[2021] 2025, an insurer may file a rate with the Insurance Commissioner 66 
pursuant to this section and such rate shall take effect the date it is filed 67 
provided the rate provides for an overall state-wide rate increase or 68 
decrease of not more than six per cent in the aggregate [and not more 69 
than a fifteen per cent increase in any individual territory] for all 70 
coverages that are subject to the filing. Such percentage [limits] limit 71 
shall not apply on an individual insured basis. Not more than one filing 72 
may be made by an insurer pursuant to this section within any twelve-73 
month period unless the filing, when combined with one or more filings 74 
made by the insurer within the preceding twelve months, does not 75 
result in an overall state-wide increase or decrease of more than six per 76 
cent in the aggregate [and not more than a fifteen per cent increase in 77 
any individual territory] for all coverages that are subject to the filing. 78  Raised Bill No. 843 
 
 
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This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 July 1, 2021 38a-495c 
Sec. 2 June 30, 2021 38a-688a(a) 
 
INS Joint Favorable