Bill > S3651

Introduced Session

This bill requires all health insurance carriers that currently sell Medicare supplement insurance to the over age 65 population to also offer, at a minimum, Medicare Supplement Plan D coverage to the under age 65 population who become eligible due to disability on or after January 1, 2020. The revisions proposed by this bill to New Jersey law governing Medicare supplement insurance result from recent changes made to the federal Medicare law with respect to this population. Specifically, the bill provides that every carrier issuing or renewing Medicare supplement insurance policies or contracts shall, as a condition of issuing or renewing health benefits plans in this State: (1) offer and renew, at a minimum, Medicare Supplement Plan C policies or contracts to persons in this State 50 years of age or older who are entitled to Medicare benefits due to disability prior to January 1, 2020; (2) offer and renew, at a minimum, Medicare Supplement Plan D policies or contracts to persons in this State 50 years of age or older who are newly eligible Medicare beneficiaries on or after January 1, 2020; and (3) offer and renew Medicare Supplement Plan D policies or contracts to persons in this State 50 years of age or older who are entitled to Medicare benefits due to disability prior to January 1, 2020 if such a person applies for Medicare Supplement Plan D on or after January 1, 2020 but during the six-month period beginning with the first of the month in which the individual is enrolled in Medicare Part B, and the individual is not covered by any other Medicare Supplement Plan. The bill requires the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance to adopt rules and regulations establishing a plan to provide Medicare supplement coverage to persons in this State under 50 years of age who are entitled, on a newly eligible basis, to Medicare benefits due to disability on or after January 1, 2020. Under the bill, the plan may not deny or condition the issuance or renewal of a Medicare supplement insurance policy or contract available for sale in this State nor discriminate in the pricing of such policy or contract because of the health status, claims experience, receipt of health care or medical condition of an applicant, under certain circumstances. Under the bill, "newly eligible" means first eligible for Medicare benefits by reason of age or disability on or after January 1, 2020, in accordance with 42 U.S.C. s.426 or 426-1.

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Herbert Conaway (D)*,  Raj Mukherji (D)*,  Nellie Pou (D)*,  Troy Singleton (D)*,  Annette Quijano (D), 

Approved P.L.2019, c.139. (on 06/26/2019)

Official Document