SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB92 SFLR Page 1 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 SENATE FLOOR VERSION February 18, 2021 AS AMENDED SENATE BILL NO. 92 By: McCortney, Rader, Montgomery, Jett and Stanley of the Senate and McEntire of the House [ insurance - Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act - effective date ] 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 am ended 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 settle ment practice exclusive of paragraph 16 of this section which shall be applicable solely to he alth benefit plans: 1. Failing to fully disclose to first party claimants, benefits, coverages, or other provisions of any insurance policy or insurance contract when the benefits, coverages or other pro visions are pertinent to a claim; SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB92 SFLR Page 2 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 2. Knowingly misrepresenting to claimants pertinent facts or policy provisions relating to coverages at issue; 3. Failing to adopt and implement reasonable s tandards for prompt investigations of claims arising under 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 clea r; 5. Failing to comply with the provisions of Section 1219 of this title; 6. Denying a claim for failure to exhi bit 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 th e policy, making statements, written or otherwise, which requir e 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 compl y with the time limit prejudices the right s 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 contain language releasing an insurer or its insured from its total liability; SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB92 SFLR Page 3 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 10. Denying payment to a claimant on the grounds that services, procedures, or supplies provided by a treating physician or a hospital were not medica lly necessary unless the health insurer or administrator, as defined in Section 1442 of this t itle, 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 pay ment 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 detail which spec ific services, procedures, or supplies were not medi cally necessary, in the opinion of the reviewing physician, and an explanation of that conclusion. A copy of each report of a reviewing phys ician shall be mailed by the health insurer, or administrator, 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; SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB92 SFLR Page 4 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 12. Violating the provisions of the Health Care Fraud Prevention Act; 13. Compelling, without just cause , policyholders to in stitute suits to recover amounts due under its ins urance policies or insurance contracts by of fering substantially less than the amounts ultimately recovered in suits brought by them, when the policyholders have made claims for amounts reasonably similar t o the amounts ultimately recovered; 14. Failing to maintain a complete record of all complain ts 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, which ever time is longer. This record shall indicate the total number of complaints, their classif ication 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 paym ent is made. This paragraph shall not apply: a. if the payment was made because of fraud comm itted by the claimant or health care provider, or SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB92 SFLR Page 5 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 b. if the claimant or health care provider has otherwise agreed to make a refund to the ins urer for overpayment of a claim; 16. Failing to pay, or requesting a r efund 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 eli gibility for those he alth care services. This paragraph shall not appl y if: a. the claim or payment was made becau se 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, re strict or otherwise terminate a policy of life insurance, or charge a d ifferent rate based upon the lawful travel d estination 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 administers pharma cy benefits for a health plan, failing to include any amount paid by an enrollee or on behalf of an enrollee by another person , as defined in Section 104 SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB92 SFLR Page 6 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 of this title, when calculating the total contribution to an out-of- pocket maximum of the enrollee, deductible, copayment, coinsurance or other cost-sharing requirement. SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2021. COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON RETIREMENT AND INSURANCE February 18, 2021 - DO PASS AS AMENDED