An Act
ENROLLED HOUSE
BILL NO. 2678 By: Marti, Mize, Munson,
McEntire, Echols, Roberts
(Dustin), Pfeiffer, Davis ,
Frix, Hardin (David),
Fugate and Waldron of the
House
and
McCortney, Rader, Jett,
Bullard and Bergstrom of
the Senate
An Act relating to insurance; amending 36 O.S. 2011,
Section 1250.5, as amended by Section 1, Chapter 105,
O.S.L. 2012 (36 O.S. Supp. 2020 , Section 1250.5),
which relates to the Unfair Claim s Settlement
Practices Act; expanding actions that constitute
unfair claims settleme nt practices; and providing an
effective date.
SUBJECT: Insurance
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 36 O.S. 2011, Section 1250.5, as
amended by Section 1, Chapter 105, O.S.L. 2012 (36 O.S. Supp. 2020,
Section 1250.5), is amended to read as follows:
Section 1250.5 Any of the following acts by an insurer, if
committed in violation of Section 1250.3 of this title, constitutes
an unfair claim settlement practice exclusive of paragraph 16 of
this section which shall be applicable solely to health benefit
plans:
1. Failing to fully disclose to first party claimants,
benefits, coverages, or other provisions of any insurance policy or ENR. H. B. NO. 2678 Page 2
insurance contract when the benefits, coverages or other provisions
are pertinent to a claim;
2. Knowingly misrepresenting to claimants pertinent facts or
policy provisions relating to coverages at issue;
3. Failing to adopt and implement reasonable standards for
prompt investigations of claims arising unde r its insurance policies
or insurance contracts;
4. Not attempting in good faith to effectuate prompt, fair and
equitable settlement of claims submitted in which liability has
become reasonably clear;
5. Failing to comply with the provisions of Section 1219 of
this title;
6. Denying a claim for failure to exhibit the property without
proof of demand and unfounded refusal by a claimant to do so;
7. Except where there is a time limit specified in the policy,
making statements, written or otherwise, wh ich require a claimant to
give written notice of loss or proof of loss within a specified time
limit and which seek to relieve the company of its obligations if
the time limit is not complied with unless the failure to comply
with the time limit prejudices the rights of an insurer;
8. Requesting a claimant to sign a release that extends beyond
the subject matter that gave rise to the claim payment;
9. Issuing checks or drafts in partial settlement of a loss or
claim under a specified coverage which cont ain language releasing an
insurer or its insured from its total liability;
10. Denying payment to a claimant on the grounds that services,
procedures, or supplies provided by a treating physician or a
hospital were not medically necessary unless the heal th insurer or
administrator, as defined in Section 1442 of this title, first
obtains an opinion from any provider of health care licensed by law
and preceded by a medical examination or claim review, to the effect
that the services, procedures or supplies for which payment is being
denied were not medically necessary. Upon written request of a
claimant, treating physician, or hospital, the opinion shall be set
forth in a written report, prepared and signed by the reviewing
physician. The report shall deta il which specific services, ENR. H. B. NO. 2678 Page 3
procedures, or supplies were not medically necessary, in the opinion
of the reviewing physician, and an explanation of that conclusion.
A copy of each report of a reviewing physician shall be mailed by
the health insurer, or ad ministrator, postage prepaid, to the
claimant, treating physician or hospital requesting same within
fifteen (15) days after receipt of the written request. As used in
this paragraph, "physician" means a person holding a valid license
to practice medicine and surgery, osteopathic medicine, podiatric
medicine, dentistry, chiropractic, or optometry, pursuant to the
state licensing provisions of Title 59 of the Oklahoma Statutes;
11. Compensating a reviewing physician, as defined in paragraph
10 of this subsection section, on the basis of a percentage of the
amount by which a claim is reduced for payment;
12. Violating the provisions of the Health Care Fraud
Prevention Act;
13. Compelling, without just cause, policyholders to institute
suits to recover amounts due under its insurance policies or
insurance contracts by offering substantially less than the amounts
ultimately recovered in suits brought by them, when the
policyholders have made claims for amounts reasonably similar to the
amounts ultimately r ecovered;
14. Failing to maintain a complete record of all complaints
which it has received during the preceding three (3) years or since
the date of its last financial examination conducted or accepted by
the Commissioner, whichever time is longer. Thi s record shall
indicate the total number of complaints, their classification by
line of insurance, the nature of each complaint, the disposition of
each complaint, and the time it took to process each complaint. For
the purposes of this paragraph, "complaint" means any written
communication primarily expressing a grievance;
15. Requesting a refund of all or a portion of a payment of a
claim made to a claimant or health care provider more than twenty -
four (24) months after the payment is made. This parag raph shall
not apply:
a. if the payment was made because of fraud committed by
the claimant or health care provider, or
ENR. H. B. NO. 2678 Page 4
b. if the claimant or health care provider has otherwise
agreed to make a refund to the insurer for overpayment
of a claim;
16. Failing to pay, or requesting a refund of a payment, for
health care services covered under the policy if a health benefit
plan, or its agent, has provided a preauthorization or
precertification and verification of eligibility for those health
care services. This paragraph shall not apply if:
a. the claim or payment was made because of fraud
committed by the claimant or health care provider,
b. the subscriber had a preexisting exclusion under the
policy related to the service provided, or
c. the subscriber or employer failed to pay the
applicable premium and all grace periods and
extensions of coverage have expired; or
17. Denying or refusing to accept an application for life
insurance, or refusing to renew, cancel, restrict or otherwise
terminate a policy of life insurance, or charge a different rate
based upon the lawful travel destination of an applicant or insured
as provided in Section 4024 of this title ; or
18. As a health insurer that provides pharmacy benefits or a
pharmacy benefits manager that a dministers pharmacy benefits for a
health plan, failing to include any amount paid by an enrollee or on
behalf of an enrollee by another person when calculating the
enrollee's total contribution to an out -of-pocket maximum,
deductible, copayment, coinsurance or other cost-sharing
requirement.
SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2021 .
ENR. H. B. NO. 2678 Page 5
Passed the House of Representatives the 8th day of March, 2021.
Presiding Officer of the House
of Representatives
Passed the Senate the 12th day of April, 2021.
Presiding Officer of the Senate
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Received by the Office of the Governor this ____________________
day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
By: ______________________ ___________
Approved by the Governor of the State of Oklahoma this _________
day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
_________________________________
Governor of the State of Oklahoma
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE
Received by the Office of the Secretary of State this __________
day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
By: _________________________________