New Jersey 2022-2023 Regular Session

New Jersey Assembly Bill A3960 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	ASSEMBLY, No. 3960 STATE OF NEW JERSEY 220th LEGISLATURE INTRODUCED MAY 12, 2022
2	2
3	3	ASSEMBLY, No. 3960
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7	STATE OF NEW JERSEY
8	8
9	9	220th LEGISLATURE
10	10
11	11
12	12
13	13	INTRODUCED MAY 12, 2022
14	14
15	15
16	16
17	17	Sponsored by: Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO District 20 (Union) SYNOPSIS Prohibits insurers, SHBP, and SEHBP from charging fee for paper bills and notices. CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT As introduced.
18	18
19	19
20	20
21	21	Sponsored by:
22	22
23	23	Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO
24	24
25	25	District 20 (Union)
26	26
27	27
28	28
29	29
30	30
31	31
32	32
33	33
34	34
35	35	SYNOPSIS
36	36
37	37	Prohibits insurers, SHBP, and SEHBP from charging fee for paper bills and notices.
38	38
39	39
40	40
41	41	CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
42	42
43	43	As introduced.
44	44
45	45
46	46
47	47	An Act concerning insurance billing practices and supplementing various parts of the statutory law. Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey: 1. a. As used in this section: "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance. "Insurer" means: (1) Any corporation, association, partnership, reciprocal exchange, interinsurer, Lloyd's insurer, fraternal benefit society, or other person engaged in the business of insurance pursuant to Subtitle 3 of Title 17 of the Revised Statutes or Subtitle 3 of Title 17B of the New Jersey Statutes; (2) Any medical service corporation operating pursuant to P.L.1940, c.74 (C.17:48A-1 et seq.); (3) Any hospital service corporation operating pursuant to P.L.1938, c.366 (C.17:48-1 et seq.); (4) Any health service corporation operating pursuant to P.L.1985, c.236 (C.17:48E-1 et seq.); (5) Any health maintenance organization established pursuant to the provisions of P.L.1973, c.337 (C.26:2J-1 et seq.); (6) Any insurance plan operating pursuant to P.L.1970, c.215 (C.17:29D-1); (7) The New Jersey Insurance Underwriting Association operating pursuant to P.L.1968, c.129 (C.17:37A-1 et seq.). b. No insurer shall charge a fee to furnish tangible printed or paper bills or notices, with respect to any insurance policy, to an insured or other owner of that policy. c. If the commissioner finds, after notice and hearing, that an insurer has a pattern and practice of charging a fee prohibited by this section, the commissioner may, after notice and hearing, order the payment of a penalty not to exceed $1,000 for each offense. Each instance of a fee prohibited by this section that is charged to an insured or other owner of that policy shall be a separate offense and subject to assessment of a separate penalty. Penalties assessed pursuant to this section shall be collected by the commissioner pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.). d. Nothing in this section shall prohibit an insurer from offering a discount, credit or other incentive to an insured for selecting a specific billing, payment or notification option.1 2. The State Health Benefits Commission shall not charge a fee to furnish tangible printed or paper bills or notices, with respect to any health plan included in the State Health Benefits Program to any member of the State Health Benefits Program. 3. The School Employees' Health Benefits Commission shall not charge a fee to furnish tangible printed or paper bills or notices, with respect to any health plan included in the School Employees' Health Benefits Program to any member of the School Employees' Health Benefits Program. 4. This act shall take effect on the 90th day next following enactment. STATEMENT This bill prohibits any insurer from charging a fee to furnish tangible printed or paper bills or notices, with respect to any insurance policy, to an insured or other owner of that policy. Insurance policies referred to under the bill include automobile insurance policies, homeowners policies, individual life and health insurance policies. In addition, the bill prohibits the State Health Benefits Commission and School Employees' Health Benefits Commission from charging a fee to furnish tangible printed or paper bills or notices to any member of the State Health Benefits Program or the School Employees' Health Benefits Program. This bill ensures that an insured, or other owner of the policy, will not be charged an additional fee if the insured or other owner of the policy elects to receive tangible printed or paper bills or notices in place of digital access to the same. The bill does not prohibit an insurer from offering a discount, credit, or other incentive to an insured for selecting a specific billing, payment, or notification option.
48	48
49	49	An Act concerning insurance billing practices and supplementing various parts of the statutory law.
50	50
51	51
52	52
53	53	Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
54	54
55	55
56	56
57	57	1. a. As used in this section:
58	58
59	59	"Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance.
60	60
61	61	"Insurer" means:
62	62
63	63	(1) Any corporation, association, partnership, reciprocal exchange, interinsurer, Lloyd's insurer, fraternal benefit society, or other person engaged in the business of insurance pursuant to Subtitle 3 of Title 17 of the Revised Statutes or Subtitle 3 of Title 17B of the New Jersey Statutes;
64	64
65	65	(2) Any medical service corporation operating pursuant to P.L.1940, c.74 (C.17:48A-1 et seq.);
66	66
67	67	(3) Any hospital service corporation operating pursuant to P.L.1938, c.366 (C.17:48-1 et seq.);
68	68
69	69	(4) Any health service corporation operating pursuant to P.L.1985, c.236 (C.17:48E-1 et seq.);
70	70
71	71	(5) Any health maintenance organization established pursuant to the provisions of P.L.1973, c.337 (C.26:2J-1 et seq.);
72	72
73	73	(6) Any insurance plan operating pursuant to P.L.1970, c.215 (C.17:29D-1);
74	74
75	75	(7) The New Jersey Insurance Underwriting Association operating pursuant to P.L.1968, c.129 (C.17:37A-1 et seq.).
76	76
77	77	b. No insurer shall charge a fee to furnish tangible printed or paper bills or notices, with respect to any insurance policy, to an insured or other owner of that policy.
78	78
79	79	c. If the commissioner finds, after notice and hearing, that an insurer has a pattern and practice of charging a fee prohibited by this section, the commissioner may, after notice and hearing, order the payment of a penalty not to exceed $1,000 for each offense. Each instance of a fee prohibited by this section that is charged to an insured or other owner of that policy shall be a separate offense and subject to assessment of a separate penalty. Penalties assessed pursuant to this section shall be collected by the commissioner pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.).
80	80
81	81	d. Nothing in this section shall prohibit an insurer from offering a discount, credit or other incentive to an insured for selecting a specific billing, payment or notification option.1
82	82
83	83
84	84
85	85	2. The State Health Benefits Commission shall not charge a fee to furnish tangible printed or paper bills or notices, with respect to any health plan included in the State Health Benefits Program to any member of the State Health Benefits Program.
86	86
87	87
88	88
89	89	3. The School Employees' Health Benefits Commission shall not charge a fee to furnish tangible printed or paper bills or notices, with respect to any health plan included in the School Employees' Health Benefits Program to any member of the School Employees' Health Benefits Program.
90	90
91	91
92	92
93	93	4. This act shall take effect on the 90th day next following enactment.
94	94
95	95
96	96
97	97
98	98
99	99	STATEMENT
100	100
101	101
102	102
103	103	This bill prohibits any insurer from charging a fee to furnish tangible printed or paper bills or notices, with respect to any insurance policy, to an insured or other owner of that policy. Insurance policies referred to under the bill include automobile insurance policies, homeowners policies, individual life and health insurance policies. In addition, the bill prohibits the State Health Benefits Commission and School Employees' Health Benefits Commission from charging a fee to furnish tangible printed or paper bills or notices to any member of the State Health Benefits Program or the School Employees' Health Benefits Program.
104	104
105	105	This bill ensures that an insured, or other owner of the policy, will not be charged an additional fee if the insured or other owner of the policy elects to receive tangible printed or paper bills or notices in place of digital access to the same. The bill does not prohibit an insurer from offering a discount, credit, or other incentive to an insured for selecting a specific billing, payment, or notification option.