WSR 13-03-038

PERMANENT RULES

OFFICE OF

INSURANCE COMMISSIONER

[ Insurance Commissioner Matter No. R 2012-25 -- Filed January 9, 2013, 8:31 a.m. , effective February 9, 2013 ]


     Effective Date of Rule: Thirty-one days after filing.

     Purpose: This new rule makes a correction to WAC 284-43-850.

     Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 284-43-850.

     Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 48.02.060.

      Adopted under notice filed as WSR 12-21-126 on October 24, 2012.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0;      Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.

     Date Adopted: January 9, 2013.

Mike Kreidler

Insurance Commissioner


AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending Matter No. R 2012-03, filed 10/8/12, effective 11/8/12)

WAC 284-43-850   Clinical trials.   A carrier must not restrict coverage of routine patient costs for enrollees who participate in a clinical trial. "Routine costs" means items and services delivered to the enrollee that are consistent with and typically covered by the plan or coverage for an enrollee who is not enrolled in a clinical trial. A carrier may continue to apply its limitations and requirements related to use of network services.

     (1) A carrier may require enrollees to meet the eligibility requirements of the clinical trial according to the trial protocol. While not required to impose such a condition, a carrier may refuse coverage under this section if the enrollee does not provide medical and scientific information establishing that the individual's participation in such trial would be appropriate based on the individual meeting the eligibility requirements for the clinical trial, unless the enrollee is referred to the clinical trial by a health care provider participating in the carrier's network.

     (2) This includes the cost of prescription medication used for the direct clinical management of the enrollee, unless the trial is for the investigation of the prescription medication or the medication is typically provided by the research sponsors free of charge for any enrollee in the trial.

     (3) The requirement does not apply to:

     (a) A service that is clearly inconsistent with widely accepted and established standards of care for a particular diagnosis;

     (b) For items and services provided solely to satisfy data collection and analysis needs;

     (c) Items and services that are not used in the direct clinical management of the enrollee; or

     (d) The investigational item, device, or service itself.

     (4) Clinical trial means a phase I, phase II, phase III, or phase IV clinical trial that is conducted in relation to the prevention, detection, or treatment of cancer or other life-threatening disease or condition, funded or approved by:

     (a) One of the National Institutes of Health (NIH);

     (b) An NIH cooperative group or center which is a formal network of facilities that collaborate on research projects and have an established NIH-approved peer review program operating within the group including, but not limited to, the NCI Clinical Cooperative Group and the NCI Community Clinical Oncology Program;

     (c) The federal Departments of Veterans Affairs or Defense;

     (d) An institutional review board of an institution in this state that has a multiple project assurance contract approval by the Office of Protection for the Research Risks of the NIH; ((and)) or

     (e) A qualified research entity that meets the criteria for NIH Center Support Grant eligibility.

     "Life threatening condition" means any disease or condition from which the likelihood of death is probable unless the course of the disease or condition is interrupted.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 48.02.060, 48.02.062, 48.18.140, 48.43.525, 48.44.050, 48.44.440(2), 48.44.460(2), 48.46.200, and 48.46.510. 12-21-019 (Matter No. R 2012-03), § 284-43-850, filed 10/8/12, effective 11/8/12.]