Section 100. Open enrollment  


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  • A. An issuer shall not deny or condition the issuance or effectiveness of any Medicare supplement policy or certificate available for sale in this Commonwealth, nor discriminate in the pricing of such a policy or certificate because of the health status, claims experience, receipt of health care, or medical condition of an applicant in the case of an application for a policy or certificate that is submitted prior to or during the six month period beginning with the first day of the first month in which an individual is both 65 years of age or older and is enrolled for benefits under Medicare Part B. Each Medicare supplement policy and certificate currently available from an issuer shall be made available to all applicants who qualify under this subsection without regard to age.

    B. 1. If an applicant qualifies under subsection A of this section and submits an application during the time period referenced in subsection A and, as of the date of application, has had a continuous period of creditable coverage of at least six months, the issuer shall not exclude benefits based on a preexisting condition.

    2. If the applicant qualifies under subsection A of this section and submits an application during the time period referenced in subsection A and, as of the date of application, has had a continuous period of creditable coverage that is less than six months, the issuer shall reduce the period of any preexisting condition exclusion by the aggregate of the period of creditable coverage applicable to the applicant as of the enrollment date. The Secretary shall specify the manner of the reduction under this subsection.

    C. Except as provided in subsection B of this section, 14VAC5-170-105, and 14VAC5-170-210, subsection A shall not be construed as preventing the exclusion of benefits under a policy, during the first six months, based on a preexisting condition for which the policyholder or certificateholder received treatment or was otherwise diagnosed during the six months before the coverage became effective.

Historical Notes

Derived from Regulation 35, Case No. INS920112, § 11, eff. July 30, 1992; amended, Volume 12, Issue 17, eff. April 28, 1996; Volume 15, Issue 15, eff. April 26, 1999; Volume 21, Issue 25, eff. August 15, 2005.

Statutory Authority

§§ 12.1-13 and 38.2-223 of the Code of Virginia.