(a) Each insurance company, fraternal benefit society, hospital service corporation, medical service corporation, health care center or other entity in this state that delivers, issues for delivery, continues or renews any Medicare supplement insurance policies or certificates shall base the premium rates charged on a community rate. Such rate shall not be based on age, gender, previous claims history or the medical condition of the person covered by such policy or certificate. Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, coverage shall not be denied on the basis of age, gender, previous claim history or the medical condition of the person covered by such policy or certificate.

(b) Nothing in this section shall prohibit an insurance company, fraternal benefit society, hospital service corporation, medical service corporation, health care center or other entity in this state issuing Medicare supplement insurance policies or certificates from using its usual and customary underwriting procedures, provided no such company, society, corporation, center or other entity shall issue a Medicare supplement policy or certificate based on the age, gender, previous claims history or the medical condition of the applicant.

(c) Nothing in this section shall prohibit an insurance company, fraternal benefit society, hospital service corporation, medical service corporation, health care center or other entity in this state when granting coverage under a Medicare supplement policy or certificate from excluding benefits for losses incurred within six months from the effective date of coverage based on a preexisting condition, in accordance with section 38a-495a and the regulations adopted pursuant to section 38a-495a.

(d) Each insurance company, fraternal benefit society, hospital service corporation, medical service corporation, health care center or other entity in the state issuing Medicare supplement policies or certificates for plan “A”, “B” or “C”, or any combination thereof, to persons eligible for Medicare by reason of age, shall offer for sale the same such policies or certificates to persons eligible for Medicare by reason of disability.

(e) To the extent permissible by federal law, each insurance company, fraternal benefit society, hospital service corporation, medical service corporation, health care center or other entity in the state issuing Medicare supplement policies or certificates for plan “A”, “B” or “C”, or any combination thereof, may deliver or issue for delivery such policy to a qualified Medicare beneficiary, as defined in 42 USC 1396d(p).

(f) Each insurance company, fraternal benefit society, hospital service corporation, medical service corporation, health care center or other entity in the state issuing Medicare supplement policies or certificates shall make all necessary arrangements with the Medicare Part B carrier and all Medicare Part A intermediaries to allow for the forwarding, to the issuing entity, of all Medicare claims containing the name of the entity issuing a Medicare supplement policy or certificate and the identification number of an insured. The entity issuing the Medicare supplement policy or certificate shall process all benefits available to an insured from a Medicare claim so forwarded, without requiring any additional action on the part of the insured.

(g) The Insurance Commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to implement this section.

(P.A. 93-390, S. 2, 8; Oct. Sp. Sess. P.A. 93-1, S. 1, 2; P.A. 98-32; P.A. 05-20, S. 5; P.A. 11-19, S. 31; P.A. 12-145, S. 14; P.A. 14-105, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 93-390 effective January 1, 1994; Oct. Sp. Sess. P.A. 93-1 inserted new Subsec. (c) re exclusion of benefits for losses incurred within six months from the effective date of coverage based on a preexisting condition and relettered the remaining Subsecs. accordingly, effective January 1, 1994 (Revisor's note: In Subsecs. (d) and (e) the references to “other entities in the state” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “other entity in the state” for consistency with the language in Subsecs. (a), (b) and (c)); P.A. 98-32 amended Subsec. (d) to require those who issue Medicare supplements for plans “A”, “B” or “C”, or any combination thereof, on the basis of age to offer the same policy to persons eligible for Medicare by reason of disability, and deleted requirement that companies which issue Medicare supplements on basis of age must offer at least one such policy on basis of disability; P.A. 05-20 made technical changes throughout, amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) to reference “determinations to grant coverage” and plans “H” to “J”, inclusive, “issued prior to January 1, 2006,” re use of claims history and medical condition, and amended Subsec. (g) re regulations, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 11-19 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) to delete provisions re Medicare supplement plans “H” to “J”; P.A. 12-145 amended Subsec. (a) to delete “on or after January 1, 1994” and make a technical change, deleted former Subsec. (f) re application of section to policies or certificates issued on and after January 1, 1994, and redesignated existing Subsec. (g) as Subsec. (f), effective June 15, 2012; P.A. 14-105 added new Subsec. (e) re delivery or issuance for delivery of Medicare supplement policies to qualified Medicare beneficiaries and redesignated existing Subsecs. (e) and (f) as Subsecs. (f) and (g), effective July 1, 2014.