SHB 1233 -
By Committee on Health & Long-Term Care
ADOPTED 04/05/2007
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"Sec. 1 RCW 48.43.005 and 2006 c 25 s 16 are each amended to read
as follows:
Unless otherwise specifically provided, the definitions in this
section apply throughout this chapter.
(1) "Adjusted community rate" means the rating method used to
establish the premium for health plans adjusted to reflect actuarially
demonstrated differences in utilization or cost attributable to
geographic region, age, family size, and use of wellness activities.
(2) "Basic health plan" means the plan described under chapter
70.47 RCW, as revised from time to time.
(3) "Basic health plan model plan" means a health plan as required
in RCW 70.47.060(2)(e).
(4) "Basic health plan services" means that schedule of covered
health services, including the description of how those benefits are to
be administered, that are required to be delivered to an enrollee under
the basic health plan, as revised from time to time.
(5) "Catastrophic health plan" means:
(a) In the case of a contract, agreement, or policy covering a
single enrollee, a health benefit plan requiring a calendar year
deductible of, at a minimum, one thousand five hundred dollars and an
annual out-of-pocket expense required to be paid under the plan (other
than for premiums) for covered benefits of at least three thousand
dollars; and
(b) In the case of a contract, agreement, or policy covering more
than one enrollee, a health benefit plan requiring a calendar year
deductible of, at a minimum, three thousand dollars and an annual out-of-pocket expense required to be paid under the plan (other than for
premiums) for covered benefits of at least five thousand five hundred
dollars; or
(c) Any health benefit plan that provides benefits for hospital
inpatient and outpatient services, professional and prescription drugs
provided in conjunction with such hospital inpatient and outpatient
services, and excludes or substantially limits outpatient physician
services and those services usually provided in an office setting.
(6) "Certification" means a determination by a review organization
that an admission, extension of stay, or other health care service or
procedure has been reviewed and, based on the information provided,
meets the clinical requirements for medical necessity, appropriateness,
level of care, or effectiveness under the auspices of the applicable
health benefit plan.
(7) "Concurrent review" means utilization review conducted during
a patient's hospital stay or course of treatment.
(8) "Covered person" or "enrollee" means a person covered by a
health plan including an enrollee, subscriber, policyholder,
beneficiary of a group plan, or individual covered by any other health
plan.
(9) "Dependent" means, at a minimum, the enrollee's legal spouse
and unmarried dependent children who qualify for coverage under the
enrollee's health benefit plan.
(10) "Eligible employee" means an employee who works on a full-time
basis with a normal work week of thirty or more hours. The term
includes a self-employed individual, including a sole proprietor, a
partner of a partnership, and may include an independent contractor, if
the self-employed individual, sole proprietor, partner, or independent
contractor is included as an employee under a health benefit plan of a
small employer, but does not work less than thirty hours per week and
derives at least seventy-five percent of his or her income from a trade
or business through which he or she has attempted to earn taxable
income and for which he or she has filed the appropriate internal
revenue service form. Persons covered under a health benefit plan
pursuant to the consolidated omnibus budget reconciliation act of 1986
shall not be considered eligible employees for purposes of minimum
participation requirements of chapter 265, Laws of 1995.
(11) "Emergency medical condition" means the emergent and acute
onset of a symptom or symptoms, including severe pain, that would lead
a prudent layperson acting reasonably to believe that a health
condition exists that requires immediate medical attention, if failure
to provide medical attention would result in serious impairment to
bodily functions or serious dysfunction of a bodily organ or part, or
would place the person's health in serious jeopardy.
(12) "Emergency services" means otherwise covered health care
services medically necessary to evaluate and treat an emergency medical
condition, provided in a hospital emergency department.
(13) "Enrollee point-of-service cost-sharing" means amounts paid to
health carriers directly providing services, health care providers, or
health care facilities by enrollees and may include copayments,
coinsurance, or deductibles.
(14) "Grievance" means a written complaint submitted by or on
behalf of a covered person regarding: (a) Denial of payment for
medical services or nonprovision of medical services included in the
covered person's health benefit plan, or (b) service delivery issues
other than denial of payment for medical services or nonprovision of
medical services, including dissatisfaction with medical care, waiting
time for medical services, provider or staff attitude or demeanor, or
dissatisfaction with service provided by the health carrier.
(15) "Health care facility" or "facility" means hospices licensed
under chapter 70.127 RCW, hospitals licensed under chapter 70.41 RCW,
rural health care facilities as defined in RCW 70.175.020, psychiatric
hospitals licensed under chapter 71.12 RCW, nursing homes licensed
under chapter 18.51 RCW, community mental health centers licensed under
chapter 71.05 or 71.24 RCW, kidney disease treatment centers licensed
under chapter 70.41 RCW, ambulatory diagnostic, treatment, or surgical
facilities licensed under chapter 70.41 RCW, drug and alcohol treatment
facilities licensed under chapter 70.96A RCW, and home health agencies
licensed under chapter 70.127 RCW, and includes such facilities if
owned and operated by a political subdivision or instrumentality of the
state and such other facilities as required by federal law and
implementing regulations.
(16) "Health care provider" or "provider" means:
(a) A person regulated under Title 18 or chapter 70.127 RCW, to
practice health or health-related services or otherwise practicing
health care services in this state consistent with state law; or
(b) An employee or agent of a person described in (a) of this
subsection, acting in the course and scope of his or her employment.
(17) "Health care service" means that service offered or provided
by health care facilities and health care providers relating to the
prevention, cure, or treatment of illness, injury, or disease.
(18) "Health carrier" or "carrier" means a disability insurer
regulated under chapter 48.20 or 48.21 RCW, a health care service
contractor as defined in RCW 48.44.010, or a health maintenance
organization as defined in RCW 48.46.020.
(19) "Health plan" or "health benefit plan" means any policy,
contract, or agreement offered by a health carrier to provide, arrange,
reimburse, or pay for health care services except the following:
(a) Long-term care insurance governed by chapter 48.84 RCW;
(b) Medicare supplemental health insurance governed by chapter
48.66 RCW;
(c) Coverage supplemental to the coverage provided under chapter
55, Title 10, United States Code;
(d) Limited health care services offered by limited health care
service contractors in accordance with RCW 48.44.035;
(e) Disability income;
(f) Coverage incidental to a property/casualty liability insurance
policy such as automobile personal injury protection coverage and
homeowner guest medical;
(g) Workers' compensation coverage;
(h) Accident only coverage;
(i) Specified disease ((and)) or illness-triggered fixed payment
insurance, hospital confinement ((indemnity when marketed solely as a
supplement to a health plan)) fixed payment insurance, or other fixed
payment insurance offered as an independent, noncoordinated benefit;
(j) Employer-sponsored self-funded health plans;
(k) Dental only and vision only coverage; and
(l) Plans deemed by the insurance commissioner to have a short-term
limited purpose or duration, or to be a student-only plan that is
guaranteed renewable while the covered person is enrolled as a regular
full-time undergraduate or graduate student at an accredited higher
education institution, after a written request for such classification
by the carrier and subsequent written approval by the insurance
commissioner.
(20) "Material modification" means a change in the actuarial value
of the health plan as modified of more than five percent but less than
fifteen percent.
(21) "Preexisting condition" means any medical condition, illness,
or injury that existed any time prior to the effective date of
coverage.
(22) "Premium" means all sums charged, received, or deposited by a
health carrier as consideration for a health plan or the continuance of
a health plan. Any assessment or any "membership," "policy,"
"contract," "service," or similar fee or charge made by a health
carrier in consideration for a health plan is deemed part of the
premium. "Premium" shall not include amounts paid as enrollee point-of-service cost-sharing.
(23) "Review organization" means a disability insurer regulated
under chapter 48.20 or 48.21 RCW, health care service contractor as
defined in RCW 48.44.010, or health maintenance organization as defined
in RCW 48.46.020, and entities affiliated with, under contract with, or
acting on behalf of a health carrier to perform a utilization review.
(24) "Small employer" or "small group" means any person, firm,
corporation, partnership, association, political subdivision, sole
proprietor, or self-employed individual that is actively engaged in
business that, on at least fifty percent of its working days during the
preceding calendar quarter, employed at least two but no more than
fifty eligible employees, with a normal work week of thirty or more
hours, the majority of whom were employed within this state, and is not
formed primarily for purposes of buying health insurance and in which
a bona fide employer-employee relationship exists. In determining the
number of eligible employees, companies that are affiliated companies,
or that are eligible to file a combined tax return for purposes of
taxation by this state, shall be considered an employer. Subsequent to
the issuance of a health plan to a small employer and for the purpose
of determining eligibility, the size of a small employer shall be
determined annually. Except as otherwise specifically provided, a
small employer shall continue to be considered a small employer until
the plan anniversary following the date the small employer no longer
meets the requirements of this definition. A self-employed individual
or sole proprietor must derive at least seventy-five percent of his or
her income from a trade or business through which the individual or
sole proprietor has attempted to earn taxable income and for which he
or she has filed the appropriate internal revenue service form 1040,
schedule C or F, for the previous taxable year except for a self-employed individual or sole proprietor in an agricultural trade or
business, who must derive at least fifty-one percent of his or her
income from the trade or business through which the individual or sole
proprietor has attempted to earn taxable income and for which he or she
has filed the appropriate internal revenue service form 1040, for the
previous taxable year. A self-employed individual or sole proprietor
who is covered as a group of one on the day prior to June 10, 2004,
shall also be considered a "small employer" to the extent that
individual or group of one is entitled to have his or her coverage
renewed as provided in RCW 48.43.035(6).
(25) "Utilization review" means the prospective, concurrent, or
retrospective assessment of the necessity and appropriateness of the
allocation of health care resources and services of a provider or
facility, given or proposed to be given to an enrollee or group of
enrollees.
(26) "Wellness activity" means an explicit program of an activity
consistent with department of health guidelines, such as, smoking
cessation, injury and accident prevention, reduction of alcohol misuse,
appropriate weight reduction, exercise, automobile and motorcycle
safety, blood cholesterol reduction, and nutrition education for the
purpose of improving enrollee health status and reducing health service
costs.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 48.20 RCW
to read as follows:
The commissioner shall adopt rules setting forth the content of a
standard disclosure form to be provided to all applicants for
individual, illness-triggered fixed payment insurance, hospital
confinement fixed payment insurance, or other fixed payment insurance.
The standard disclosure shall provide information regarding the level,
type, and amount of benefits provided and the limitations, exclusions,
and exceptions under the policy, as well as additional information to
enhance consumer understanding. The disclosure shall specifically
disclose that the coverage is not comprehensive in nature and will not
cover the cost of most hospital and other medical services. Such
disclosure form must be filed for approval with the commissioner prior
to use. The standard disclosure forms must be provided at the time of
solicitation and completion of the application form. All advertising
and marketing materials other than the standard disclosure form must be
filed with the commissioner at least thirty days prior to use.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 A new section is added to chapter 48.20 RCW
to read as follows:
Illness-triggered fixed payment insurance, hospital confinement
fixed payment insurance, or other fixed payment insurance policies are
not considered to provide coverage for hospital or medical expenses
under this chapter, if the benefits provided are a fixed dollar amount
that is paid regardless of the amount charged. The benefits may not be
related to, or be a percentage of, the amount charged by the provider
of service and must be offered as an independent and noncoordinated
benefit with any other health plan as defined in RCW 48.43.005(19).
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 A new section is added to chapter 48.21 RCW
to read as follows:
The commissioner shall adopt rules setting forth the content of a
standard disclosure form to be delivered to all applicants for group
illness-triggered fixed payment insurance, hospital confinement fixed
payment insurance, or other fixed payment insurance. The standard
disclosure shall provide information regarding the level, type, and
amount of benefits provided and the limitations, exclusions, and
exceptions under the policy, as well as additional information to
enhance consumer understanding. The disclosure shall specifically
disclose that the coverage is not comprehensive in nature and will not
cover the cost of most hospital and other medical services. Such
disclosure form must be filed for approval with the commissioner prior
to use. The standard disclosure form must be provided to the master
policyholders at the time of solicitation and completion of the
application and to all enrollees at the time of enrollment. All
advertising and marketing materials other than the standard disclosure
form must be filed with the commissioner at least thirty days prior to
use.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5 A new section is added to chapter 48.21 RCW
to read as follows:
Illness-triggered fixed payment insurance, hospital confinement
fixed payment insurance, or other fixed payment insurance policies are
not considered to provide coverage for hospital or medical expenses or
care under this chapter, if the benefits provided are a fixed dollar
amount that is paid regardless of the amount charged. The benefits may
not be related to, or be a percentage of, the amount charged by the
provider of service and must be offered as an independent and
noncoordinated benefit with any other health plan as defined in RCW
48.43.005(19).
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6 A new section is added to chapter 48.43 RCW
to read as follows:
The commissioner shall collect information from insurers offering
fixed payment insurance products, and report aggregated data for each
calendar year, including the number of groups purchasing the products,
the number of enrollees, and the number of consumer complaints filed.
The reports shall be provided to the legislature annually to reflect
the calendar year experience, and the initial report shall reflect
calendar year 2008 and be due no later than June 1, 2009, and each June
thereafter."
SHB 1233 -
By Committee on Health & Long-Term Care
ADOPTED 04/05/2007
On page 1, line 2 of the title, after "insurance;" strike the remainder of the title and insert "amending RCW 48.43.005; adding new sections to chapter 48.20 RCW; adding new sections to chapter 48.21 RCW; and adding a new section to chapter 48.43 RCW."