H-4705.1 _______________________________________________
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2817
_______________________________________________
State of Washington 52nd Legislature 1992 Regular Session
By House Committee on Financial Institutions & Insurance (originally sponsored by Representatives Zellinsky, Bowman, Dellwo, Broback, R. Johnson, Paris, Dorn, Schmidt, R. Meyers, Winsley, Ballard, Beck, Ludwig, Brough, Vance, Wynne, Carlson, Miller, Forner, Tate, Hochstatter, Van Luven, Wood, May, Fuhrman, Mitchell, Brumsickle and Ferguson)
Read first time 02/07/92.
AN ACT Relating to small employer health insurance, data collection, and administrative reform; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The insurance commissioner shall study and develop legislation to promote the availability of health insurance coverage for small employers regardless of the health status or claims experience of the employer, to prevent abusive rating practices, to require disclosure of rating practices to purchasers, to establish standards regarding renewability of coverage, to establish limitations on the use of preexisting condition exclusions, to provide for development of a basic health benefit plan to be offered to all small employers, to provide for establishment of an allocation program, and to improve the overall fairness and efficiency of the small group health insurance market. The commissioner shall recommend the adoption of legislation in a report to the legislature no later than January 1, 1993.