Section 75. Benefit standards for 2010 Medicare supplement policies delivered on or after June 1, 2010

A. The following standards are applicable to all Medicare supplement benefit plan policies or certificates delivered or issued for delivery in this Commonwealth with an effective date for coverage on or after June 1, 2010. No policy or certificate may be advertised, solicited, delivered, or issued for delivery in this Commonwealth as a Medicare supplement policy or certificate unless it complies with these benefit standards. No issuer may offer any 1990 standardized Medicare supplement benefit plan for sale on or after June 1, 2010. Benefit standards applicable to Medicare supplement policies and certificates issued with an effective date for coverage prior to June 1, 2010, remain subject to the requirements of 14VAC5-170-70.

B. The following standards apply to Medicare supplement policies and certificates and are in addition to all other requirements of this chapter.

1. A Medicare supplement policy or certificate shall not exclude or limit benefits for losses incurred more than six months from the effective date of coverage because it involved a preexisting condition. The policy or certificate may not define a preexisting condition more restrictively than a condition for which medical advice was given or treatment was recommended by or received from a physician within six months before the effective date of coverage.

2. A Medicare supplement policy or certificate shall not indemnify against losses resulting from sickness on a different basis than losses resulting from accidents.

3. A Medicare supplement policy or certificate shall provide that benefits designed to cover cost-sharing amounts under Medicare will be changed automatically to coincide with any changes in the applicable Medicare deductible, copayment or coinsurance amounts. Premiums may be modified to correspond with such changes.

4. No Medicare supplement policy or certificate shall provide for termination of coverage of a spouse solely because of the occurrence of an event specified for termination of coverage of the insured, other than the nonpayment of premium.

5. Each Medicare supplement policy shall be guaranteed renewable.

a. The issuer shall not cancel or nonrenew the policy solely on the ground of health status of the individual.

b. The issuer shall not cancel or nonrenew the policy for any reason other than nonpayment of premium or material misrepresentation.

c. If the Medicare supplement policy is terminated by the group policyholder and is not replaced as provided in subdivision 5 e of this subsection, the issuer shall offer certificateholders an individual Medicare supplement policy which, at the option of the certificateholder:

(1) Provides for continuation of the benefits contained in the group policy; or

(2) Provides for benefits that otherwise meet the requirements of this subsection.

d. If an individual is a certificateholder in a group Medicare supplement policy and the individual terminates membership in the group, the issuer shall:

(1) Offer the certificateholder the conversion opportunity described in subdivision 5 c of this subsection; or

(2) At the option of the group policyholder, offer the certificateholder continuation of coverage under the group policy.

e. If a group Medicare supplement policy is replaced by another group Medicare supplement policy purchased by the same policyholder, the issuer of the replacement policy shall offer coverage to all persons covered under the old group policy on its date of termination. Coverage under the new policy shall not result in any exclusion for preexisting conditions that would have been covered under the group policy being replaced.

6. Termination of a Medicare supplement policy or certificate shall be without prejudice to any continuous loss that commenced while the policy was in force, but the extension of benefits beyond the period during which the policy was in force may be conditioned upon the continuous total disability of the insured, limited to the duration of the policy benefit period if any, or payment of the maximum benefits. Receipt of Medicare Part D benefits will not be considered in determining a continuous loss.

7. a. A Medicare supplement policy or certificate shall provide that benefits and premiums under the policy or certificate shall be suspended at the request of the policyholder or certificateholder for the period not to exceed 24 months in which the policyholder or certificateholder has applied for and is determined to be entitled to medical assistance under Title XIX of the Social Security Act, but only if the policyholder or certificateholder notifies the issuer of the policy or certificate within 90 days after the date the individual becomes entitled to assistance.

b. If suspension occurs and if the policyholder or certificateholder loses entitlement to medical assistance, the policy or certificate shall be automatically reinstituted (effective as of the date of termination of entitlement) as of the termination of entitlement if the policyholder or certificateholder provides notice of loss of entitlement within 90 days after the date of loss and pays the premium attributable to the period, effective as of the date of termination of entitlement.

c. Each Medicare supplement policy shall provide that benefits and premiums under the policy shall be suspended (for any period that may be provided by federal regulation) at the request of the policyholder if the policyholder is entitled to benefits under § 226 (b) of the Social Security Act and is covered under a group health plan as defined in § 1862 (b)(1)(A)(v) of the Social Security Act. If suspension occurs and if the policyholder or certificateholder loses coverage under the group health plan, the policy shall be automatically reinstituted (effective as of the date of loss of coverage) if the policyholder provides notice of loss of coverage within 90 days after the date of the loss and pays the premium attributable to the period, effective as of the date of termination of enrollment in the group health plan.

d. Reinstitution of coverages as described in subdivisions 7 b and c of this subsection:

(1) Shall not provide for any waiting period with respect to treatment of preexisting conditions;

(2) Shall provide for resumption of coverage that is substantially equivalent to coverage in effect before the date of suspension; and

(3) Shall provide for classification of premiums on terms at least as favorable to the policyholder or certificateholder as the premium classification terms that would have been applied to the policyholder or certificateholder had the coverage not been suspended.

C. Standards for basic (core) benefits common to Medicare supplement insurance benefit plans A, B, C, D, F, F with High Deductible, G, M and N. Every issuer of Medicare supplement insurance benefit plans shall make available a policy or certificate including only the following basic "core" package of benefits to each prospective insured. An issuer may make available to prospective insureds any of the other Medicare supplement insurance benefit plans in addition to the basic core package, but not in lieu of it.

1. Coverage of Part A Medicare eligible expenses for hospitalization to the extent not covered by Medicare from the 61st day through the 90th day in any Medicare benefit period;

2. Coverage of Part A Medicare eligible expenses incurred for hospitalization to the extent not covered by Medicare for each Medicare lifetime inpatient reserve day used;

3. Upon exhaustion of the Medicare hospital inpatient coverage, including the lifetime reserve days, coverage of 100% of the Medicare Part A eligible expenses for hospitalization paid at the applicable prospective payment system (PPS) rate, or other appropriate Medicare standard of payment, subject to a lifetime maximum benefit of an additional 365 days. The provider shall accept the issuer's payment as payment in full and may not bill the insured for any balance;

4. Coverage under Medicare Parts A and B for the reasonable cost of the first three pints of blood (or equivalent quantities of packed red blood cells, as defined under federal regulations) unless replaced in accordance with federal regulations;

5. Coverage for the coinsurance amount, or in the case of hospital outpatient department services paid under a prospective payment system, the copayment amount, of Medicare eligible expenses under Part B regardless of hospital confinement, subject to the Medicare Part B deductible; and

6. Coverage of cost sharing for all Part A Medicare eligible hospice care and respite care expenses.

D. Standards for additional benefits. The following additional benefits shall be included in Medicare supplement benefit Plans B, C, D, F, F with High Deductible, G, M, and N as provided by 14VAC5-170-85.

1. Medicare Part A deductible: Coverage for 100% of the Medicare Part A inpatient hospital deductible amount per benefit period.

2. Medicare Part A deductible: Coverage for 50% of the Medicare Part A inpatient hospital deductible amount per benefit period.

3. Skilled nursing facility care: Coverage for the actual billed charges up to the coinsurance amount from the 21st day through the 100th day in a Medicare benefit period for posthospital skilled nursing facility care eligible under Medicare Part A.

4. Medicare Part B deductible: Coverage for 100% of the Medicare Part B deductible amount per calendar year regardless of hospital confinement.

5. 100% of the Medicare Part B excess charges: Coverage for all of the difference between the actual Medicare Part B charges as billed, not to exceed any charge limitation established by the Medicare program or state law, and the Medicare-approved Part B charge.

6. Medically necessary emergency care in a foreign country: Coverage to the extent not covered by Medicare for 80% of the billed charges for Medicare-eligible expenses for medically necessary emergency hospital, physician and medical care received in a foreign country, which care would have been covered by Medicare if provided in the United States and which care began during the first 60 consecutive days of each trip outside the United States, subject to a calendar year deductible of $250, and a lifetime maximum benefit of $50,000. For purposes of this benefit, "emergency care" shall mean care needed immediately because of an injury or an illness of sudden and unexpected onset.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 25, Issue 18, eff. May 21, 2009.

Statutory Authority

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