Bill > S504

This bill, titled "Prohibiting discrimination in insurance policies," aims to prevent insurers from using discriminatory practices when offering insurance policies to residents of the Commonwealth. It defines "insurer" broadly to include various types of insurance companies and plans, and clarifies that a "policy" refers to any insurance contract, policy, or plan. The bill specifically prohibits insurers from using any statistical data, such as mortality or morbidity tables, to classify residents into separate groups based on race, color, religion, sex, marital status, or national origin. Furthermore, it mandates that insurers must treat all covered persons and applicants equally, regardless of these protected characteristics, in terms of policy availability, conditions, rates, and benefits. This prohibition applies to policies delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed by agreement within or outside the Commonwealth that cover residents, as well as to any changes made to existing policies after June 1, 2012, that affect payments, coverage amounts, premiums, or benefits. However, the bill includes exceptions, allowing for the use of approved blended tables, the issuance of family policies, and the continuation of insurance coverage solely for persons of a single religious affiliation if that is the insurer's regular practice. It also exempts certain retirement benefits derived from contributions made before July 6, 1983. The bill also makes conforming amendments to other sections of Chapter 175 of the General Laws to align with these new anti-discrimination provisions.