2007 House Bill 5282 ↩

Senate Roll Call 278: Passed

To impose new regulations on providers of health insurance policies for individuals (as opposed to groups or employees). Commercial insurers would be required to provide coverage to an individual with pre-existing medical conditions not longer than six months after the person applies (under current law the time is 12 months). Providers would be prohibited from not renewing an issued plan based on a customer’s claims experience, and price increases based on health status changes would be limited. The bill also allows insurers to give discounts to customers who don’t smoke or participate in certain “wellness” programs; and imposes a limit of 60 percent on the aggregate benefits paid out vs. the premium revenue, with customer rebates for any excess. The bill does not create the state “high risk pool” of the House-passed version. See also House Bill 5283.