BP BHEAD INT H

AN ACT Relating to establishing minimum loss ratios for health care service contractors and disability insurers; adding a new section to chapter 48.44 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 48.21 RCW; and adding a new section to chapter 48.20 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 48.44 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Benefits shall be deemed reasonable in relation to amount charged provided the anticipated loss ratio is at least:

(a) Sixty-five percent for individual subscriber contract forms;

(b) Seventy percent for franchise plan contract forms; and

(2) With the approval of the commissioner, contract, rider, and endorsement forms that provide substantially similar coverage may be combined for the purpose of determining the anticipated loss ratio.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 48.21 RCW to read as follows:

The following standards and requirements apply to group and blanket disability insurance policy forms and manual rates:

(1) Specified disease group insurance shall generate at least a seventy-five percent loss ratio regardless of the size of the group.

(2) Group disability insurance, other than specified disease insurance, as to which the insureds pay all or substantially all of the premium shall generate loss ratios no lower than those set forth in the following table.

Number of Certificate Holders Minimum Overall

at Issue, Renewal, or Rerating Loss Ratio

9 or less 60%

10 to 24 65%

25 to 49 70%

50 to 99 75%

100 or more 80%

(3) Group disability policy forms, other than for specified disease insurance, for issue to single employers insuring less than one hundred lives shall generate loss ratios no lower than those set forth in subsection (2) of this section for groups of the same size.

(4) The calculating period may vary with the benefit and premium provisions. The company may be required to demonstrate the reasonableness of the calculating period chosen by the actuary responsible for the premium calculations.

(5) A request for a rate increase submitted at the end of the calculating period shall include a comparison of the actual to the expected loss ratios and shall employ any accumulation of reserves in the determination of rates for the selected calculating period and account for the maintenance of such reserves for future needs. The request for the rate increase shall be further documented by the expected loss ratio for the new calculating period.

(6) A request for a rate increase submitted during the calculating period shall include a comparison of the actual to the expected loss ratios, a demonstration of any contributions to or support from the reserves, and shall account for the maintenance of such reserves for future needs. If the experience justifies a premium increase it shall be deemed that the calculating period has prematurely been brought to an end. The rate increase shall further be documented by the expected loss ratio for the next calculating period.

(7) The commissioner may approve a series of two or three smaller rate increases in lieu of one larger increase. These should be calculated to reduce the lapses and antiselection that often result from large rate increases. A demonstration of such calculations, whether for a single rate increase or a series of smaller rate increases, satisfactory to the commissioner, shall be attached to the filing.

(8) Companies shall review their experience periodically and file appropriate rate revisions in a timely manner to reduce the necessity of later filing of exceptionally large rate increases.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 48.20 RCW to read as follows:

The following standards and requirements apply to individual disability insurance forms:

(1) Benefits shall be deemed reasonable in relation to the premiums if the overall loss ratio is at least sixty percent over a calculating period chosen by the insurer and satisfactory to the commissioner.

(2) The calculating period may vary with the benefit and renewal provisions. The company may be required to demonstrate the reasonableness of the calculating period chosen by the actuary responsible for the premium calculations. A brief explanation of the selected calculating period shall accompany the filing.

(3) Policy forms, the benefits of which are particularly exposed to the effects of inflation and whose premium income may be particularly vulnerable to an eroding persistency and other similar forces, shall use a relatively short calculating period reflecting the uncertainties of estimating the risks involved. Policy forms based on more dependable statistics may employ a longer calculating period. The calculating period may be the lifetime of the contract for guaranteed renewable and noncancellable policy forms if such forms provide benefits that are supported by reliable statistics and that are protected from inflationary or eroding forces by such factors as fixed dollar coverages, inside benefit limits, or the inherent nature of the benefits. The calculating period may be as short as one year for coverages that are based on statistics of minimal reliability or that are highly exposed to inflation.

(4) A request for a rate increase to be effective at the end of the calculating period shall include a comparison of the actual to the expected loss ratios, shall employ any accumulation of reserves in the determination of rates for the new calculating period, and shall account for the maintenance of such reserves for future needs. The request for the rate increase shall be further documented by the expected loss ratio for the new calculating period.

(5) A request for a rate increase submitted during the calculating period shall include a comparison of the actual to the expected loss ratios, a demonstration of any contributions to and support from the reserves, and shall account for the maintenance of such reserves for future needs. If the experience justifies a premium increase it shall be deemed that the calculating period has prematurely been brought to an end. The rate increase shall further be documented by the expected loss ratio for the next calculating period.

(6) The commissioner may approve a series of two or three smaller rate increases in lieu of one large increase. These should be calculated to reduce lapses and anti-selection that often result from large rate increases. A demonstration of such calculations, whether for a single rate increase or for a series of smaller rate increases, satisfactory to the commissioner, shall be attached to the filing.

(7) Companies shall review their experience periodically and file appropriate rate revisions in a timely manner to reduce the necessity of later filing of exceptionally large rate increases.