PROPOSED RULES
INSURANCE COMMISSIONER
Original Notice.
Preproposal statement of inquiry was filed as WSR 11-10-069.
Title of Rule and Other Identifying Information: Long-term care partnership.
Hearing Location(s): OIC Tumwater Office, Training Room 120, 5000 Capitol Boulevard, Tumwater, WA, http://www.insurance.wa.gov/about/directions.shtml, on September 8, 2011, at 10:00 a.m.
Date of Intended Adoption: September 15, 2011.
Submit Written Comments to: Kacy Scott, P.O. Box 40258, Olympia, WA 98504-0258, e-mail kacys@oic.wa.gov, fax (360) 586-0139, by September 5, 2011.
Assistance for Persons with Disabilities: Contact Lorrie [Lorie] Villaflores by September 5, 2011, TTY (360) 586-0241 or (360) 725-7087.
Purpose of the Proposal and Its Anticipated Effects, Including Any Changes in Existing Rules: RCW 48.85.030 was amended during the 2011 legislative session to allow long-term care partnership policies to be marketed in Washington state. These proposed rules amend necessary WACs to align with the amended statute.
Reasons Supporting Proposal: These proposed rules make necessary changes to allow long-term care partnership policies to be issued in Washington state.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 48.02.060 and 48.85.030.
Statute Being Implemented: RCW 48.85.030.
Rule is not necessitated by federal law, federal or state court decision.
Name of Proponent: Mike Kreidler, insurance commissioner, governmental.
Name of Agency Personnel Responsible for Drafting: Kacy Scott, P.O. Box 40258, Olympia, WA 98504-0248 [98504-0258], (360) 725-7041; Implementation: Beth Berendt, P.O. Box 40255, Olympia, WA 98504-0255, (360) 725-7117; and Enforcement: Carol Sureau, P.O. Box 40255, Olympia, WA 98504-0255, (360) 725-7050.
No small business economic impact statement has been prepared under chapter 19.85 RCW. The only businesses affected by this proposed rule are long-term care product insurers. None of the active, licensed long-term care product insurers in Washington state are domestic small businesses. Therefore a small business economic impact statement is not required for this proposed rule.
A cost-benefit analysis is required under RCW 34.05.328. A preliminary cost-benefit analysis may be obtained by contacting Kacy Scott, P.O. Box 40255, Olympia, WA 98504-0255, phone (360) 725-7041, fax (360) 586-3109, e-mail kacys@oic.wa.gov.
July 20, 2011
Mike Kreidler
Insurance Commissioner
OTS-4030.6
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending Matter No. R 2008-09, filed
11/24/08, effective 12/25/08)
WAC 284-83-140
Qualified long-term care insurance
policies -- Additional standards for benefit triggers.
(1) For
purposes of this section the following definitions apply:
(a) "Qualified long-term care services" means services that meet the requirements of Section 7702B (c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including: Necessary diagnostic, preventive, therapeutic, curative, treatment, mitigation and rehabilitative services, and maintenance or personal care services which are required by a chronically ill individual, and are provided pursuant to a plan of care prescribed by a licensed health care practitioner.
(b)(i) "Chronically ill individual" has the meaning of Section 7702B (c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Under this provision, a chronically ill individual means any individual who has been certified by a licensed health care practitioner as:
(A) Being unable to perform (without substantial assistance from another individual) at least two activities of daily living for a period of at least ninety days due to a loss of functional capacity; or
(B) Requiring substantial supervision to protect the individual from threats to health and safety due to severe cognitive impairment.
(ii) The term "chronically ill individual" does not include an individual otherwise meeting these requirements unless within the preceding twelve-month period a licensed health care practitioner certified that the individual meets these requirements.
(c) "Licensed health care practitioner" means a physician, as defined in Section 1861 (r)(1) of the Social Security Act, a registered professional nurse, licensed social worker or other individual who meets requirements prescribed by the federal Secretary of the Treasury.
(d) "Maintenance or personal care services" means any care the primary purpose of which is the provision of needed assistance with any of the disabilities as a result of which the individual is a chronically ill individual (including the protection from threats to health and safety due to severe cognitive impairment).
(2) A qualified long-term care insurance policy must pay only for qualified long-term care services received by a chronically ill individual provided pursuant to a plan of care prescribed by a licensed health care practitioner.
(3) A qualified long-term care insurance policy must condition the payment of benefits on a determination of the insured's inability to perform activities of daily living for an expected period of at least ninety days due to a loss of functional capacity or to severe cognitive impairment.
(4) Certifications regarding activities of daily living and cognitive impairment required pursuant to subsection (3) of this section must be performed by a licensed or certified physician, registered professional nurse, licensed social worker, or other individual who meet requirements prescribed by the federal Secretary of the Treasury.
(5) Certifications required pursuant to subsection (3) of this section may be performed by a licensed health care professional at the direction of the issuer as is reasonably necessary with respect to a specific claim; except that when a licensed health care practitioner has certified that the insured is unable to perform activities of daily living for an expected period of at least ninety days due to a loss of functional capacity and the insured is in claim status, the certification may not be rescinded and additional certifications may not be performed until after the expiration of the ninety-day period.
(6) Qualified long-term care insurance policies must include a clear description of the process for appealing and resolving disputes with respect to benefit determinations.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 48.02.060, 48.83.070, 48.83.110, 48.83.120, 48.83.130(1), and 48.83.140 (4)(a). 08-24-019 (Matter No. R 2008-09), § 284-83-140, filed 11/24/08, effective 12/25/08.]
LONG-TERM CARE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM
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(2) These sections do not apply to medicare supplement policies regulated under chapters 48.66 RCW and 284-55 or 284-66 WAC; policies or contracts between a continuing care retirement community and its residents; or to long-term care insurance policies that are not intended to provide asset protection under chapter 48.85 RCW.
(3) Policies that do not meet the requirements of the Washington Long-Term Care Partnership Act and the requirements of this chapter may not be advertised, issued or delivered in this state as partnership policies.
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(1) As used in WAC 284-83-400 through 284-83-420, "qualified long-term care partnership policy" or "partnership policy" means a long-term care policy that meets all of the following additional requirements:
(a) The policy was issued on or after January 1, 2012, or exchanged as provided in WAC 284-83-415 on or after January 1, 2012, and covers an insured who was a resident of this state or of another state that has entered into a reciprocal agreement with this state when coverage first became effective under the policy.
(b) The policy is a tax qualified long-term care insurance policy as defined in Section 7702B(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 7702B(b)).
(c) The policy provides the following inflation protection:
(i) If the policy is sold to an individual who has not attained age sixty-one as of the date of purchase, the policy must provide automatic annual compounded inflation increases at a rate based on changes in the consumer price index, not to be less than zero percent nor greater than five percent.
(ii) If the policy is sold to an individual who has attained age sixty-one but has not attained age seventy-six as of the date of purchase, the policy must provide automatic simple, noncompounded inflation increases at a rate based on changes in the consumer price index, not to be less than zero percent nor greater than five percent.
(iii) If the policy is sold to an individual who has attained age seventy-six as of the date of purchase, the policy may, but is not required to, provide automatic simple, noncompounded inflation increases at a rate based on changes in the consumer price index, not to be less than zero percent nor greater than five percent.
(iv) For purposes of this section, "consumer price index" means the consumer price index for all urban consumers, U.S. city average, all items, as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor.
(2) Issuers must file a long-term care insurance policy for approval for use as a partnership policy. The long-term care Partnership Policy Certification Form must be completed and accompany the request for approval. The form is available on the commissioner's web site: www.insurance.wa.gov.
(3) Issuers requesting to make use of a previously approved policy form as a qualified state long-term care partnership policy must:
(a) Submit to the commissioner a Partnership Policy Certification Form signed by an officer of the company; and
(b) File for approval an amendatory rider or endorsement indicating the policy is partnership qualified.
(4) An issuer or its agent, soliciting or offering to sell a policy that is intended to qualify as a partnership policy, must provide to each prospective applicant a Partnership Program Notice found on the commissioner's web site: www.insurance.wa.gov, outlining the requirements and benefits of a partnership policy. The Partnership Program Notice must be provided with the required outline of coverage.
(5) A partnership policy issued for delivery in Washington must be accompanied by a Partnership Status Disclosure Notice found on the commissioner's web site: www.insurance.wa.gov, explaining the benefits associated with a partnership policy and indicating that at the time issued, the policy is a qualified Washington state long-term care insurance partnership policy. The Partnership Disclosure Notice must also include a statement indicating that by purchasing this partnership policy, the insured does not automatically qualify for medicaid.
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(a) The existing long-term care policy was issued on or after February 8, 2006; and
(b) The existing long-term care policy is the type certified by the issuer for purposes of the state long-term care partnership program.
(2) In making an offer to exchange, an issuer must comply with the following requirements:
(a) The offer must be made on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to the age or health status of the insured; and
(b) The offer must remain open for a minimum of ninety days from the date of mailing by the issuer.
(3) An exchange occurs when an issuer offers a policyholder or certificate holder (hereinafter "insured") the option to replace an existing long-term care insurance policy with a policy that qualifies as a long-term care partnership policy, and the insured accepts the offer to terminate the existing policy and accepts the new policy.
(4) Notwithstanding subsections (1), (2), and (3) of this section:
(a) An offer to exchange may be deferred for any insured who is currently eligible for benefits under an existing policy or who is subject to an elimination period on a claim, but such deferral shall continue only as long as such eligibility or elimination period exists; and
(b) An offer to exchange does not have to be made if the insured would be required to purchase additional benefits to qualify for the state long-term care partnership program and the insured is not eligible to purchase the additional benefits under the issuer's long-term care underwriting guidelines.
(5) If the partnership policy has an actuarial value of benefits equal to or lesser than the actuarial value of benefits of the existing policy, then the following requirements apply:
(a) The partnership policy must not be underwritten; and
(b) The rate charged for the partnership policy shall be determined using the original issue age and risk class of the insured that was used to determine the rate of the existing policy.
(6) If the partnership policy has an actuarial value of benefits exceeding the actuarial value of the benefits of the existing policy, then the following requirements apply:
(a) The issuer must apply its long-term care underwriting guidelines to the increased benefits only; and
(b) The rate charged for the partnership policy must be determined using the method set forth in subsection (5)(b) of this section for the existing benefits, increased by the rate for the increased benefits using the then current attained age and risk class of the insured for the increased benefits only.
(7) The partnership policy offered in an exchange must be on a form that is currently offered for sale by the issuer in the general market.
(8) In the event of an exchange, the insured must not lose any rights, benefits, or built-up value that has accrued under the original policy with respect to the benefits provided under the original policy including, but not limited to, rights established because of the lapse of time related to preexisting condition exclusions, elimination periods, or incontestability clauses.
(9) Issuers may complete an exchange by either issuing a new policy or by amending an existing policy with an endorsement or rider. An issuer must file such endorsement or rider for approval prior to issue.
(10) For those insureds with long-term care policies issued before February 8, 2006, an issuer may offer an insured the option to exchange an existing policy for a policy that qualifies as a Washington state long-term partnership policy. The requirements set forth in subsections (2) through (9) of this section apply to any such exchange.
(11) Policies issued pursuant to this section shall be considered exchanges and not replacements and are not subject to WAC 284-83-060 through 284-83-070.
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OTS-4029.1
REPEALER
The following chapter of the Washington Administrative Code is repealed:
| WAC 284-85-005 | Purpose and authority. |
| WAC 284-85-010 | Applicability and scope. |
| WAC 284-85-015 | Standards for definitions used in this chapter and chapter 48.85 RCW. |
| WAC 284-85-030 | Minimum standards for long-term care partnership policies. |
| WAC 284-85-040 | Standards related to rates. |
| WAC 284-85-045 | Conversion from group to individual coverage or replacement of coverage. |
| WAC 284-85-050 | Disclosure and suitability standards. |
| WAC 284-85-055 | Termination of participation in the Washington long-term care partnership program. |
| WAC 284-85-060 | Applications for long-term care partnership coverage. |
| WAC 284-85-070 | Advertising standards. |
| WAC 284-85-075 | Summary of insurance benefits. |
| WAC 284-85-080 | Consumer education program. |
| WAC 284-85-085 | Standards for education of licensees soliciting long-term care partnership contracts. |
| WAC 284-85-090 | Standards for case management services. |
| WAC 284-85-100 | Recordkeeping. |
| WAC 284-85-110 | Records retention. |
| WAC 284-85-900 | Chapter not exclusive. |