CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

                        HOUSE BILL 1539

                        56th Legislature

                      1999 Regular Session

Passed by the House March 8, 1999   Yeas 97   Nays 0 Speaker of the House of Representatives Speaker of the House of Representatives Passed by the Senate April 25, 1999   Yeas 42   Nays 0	CERTIFICATE We, Dean R. Foster and Timothy A. Martin, Co-Chief Clerks of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is HOUSE BILL 1539  as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth.                           Chief Clerk                           Chief Clerk
President of the Senate

Approved Place Style On Codes above, and Style Off Codes below.	FILED
Governor of the State of Washington	Secretary of State                   State of Washington

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                          HOUSE BILL 1539

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             Passed Legislature - 1999 Regular Session

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Representative Parlette

Read first time 01/28/1999.  Referred to Committee on Health Care.

Clarifying medicare supplement policies. 

    AN ACT Relating to medicare supplement policies; amending RCW 48.66.045; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 48.66.045 and 1995 c 85 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

    Every issuer of a medicare supplement insurance policy or certificate providing coverage to a resident of this state issued on or after January 1, 1996, shall:

    (1) Issue coverage under its standardized benefit plans B, C, D, E, F, and G without evidence of insurability to any resident of this state who is eligible for both medicare hospital and physician services by reason of age or by reason of disability or end-stage renal disease, if the medicare supplement policy replaces another medicare supplement standardized benefit plan policy or certificate B, C, D, E, F, or G, or other more comprehensive coverage than the ((replaced)) replacing policy;

    (2) Issue coverage under its standardized plans A, H, I, and J without evidence of insurability to any resident of this state who is eligible for both medicare hospital and physician services by reason of age or by reason of disability or end-stage renal disease, if the medicare supplement policy replaces another medicare supplement policy or certificate which is the same standardized plan as the replaced policy; and

    (3) Set rates only on a community-rated basis.  Premiums shall be equal for all policyholders and certificate holders under a standardized medicare supplement benefit plan form, except that an issuer may develop no more than two rating pools that distinguish between an insured's eligibility for medicare by reason of:

    (a) Age; or

    (b) Disability or end-stage renal disease.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect immediately.

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