Cal. Ins. Code § 10192.18

Current through the 2024 Legislative Session.

Section 10192.18 - Application form questions and statements

(a) Application forms shall include the following questions designed to elicit information as to whether, as of the date of the application, the applicant currently has Medicare supplement, Medicare Advantage, Medi-Cal coverage, or another health insurance policy or certificate in force or whether a Medicare supplement policy or certificate is intended to replace any other disability policy or certificate presently in force. A supplementary application or other form to be signed by the applicant and agent containing those questions and statements may be used.

(Statements)

(1) You do not need more than one Medicare supplement policy.

(2) If you purchase this policy, you may want to evaluate your existing health coverage and decide if you need multiple coverages.

(3) You may be eligible for benefits under Medi-Cal and may not need a Medicare supplement policy.

(4) If after purchasing this policy you become eligible for Medi-Cal, the benefits and premiums under your Medicare supplement policy can be suspended, if requested, during your entitlement to benefits under Medi-Cal for 24 months. You must request this suspension within 90 days of becoming eligible for Medi-Cal. If you are no longer entitled to Medi-Cal, your suspended Medicare supplement policy or if that is no longer available, a substantially equivalent policy, will be reinstituted if requested within 90 days of losing Medi-Cal eligibility. If the Medicare supplement policy provided coverage for outpatient prescription drugs and you enrolled in Medicare Part D while your policy was suspended, the reinstituted policy will not have outpatient prescription drug coverage, but will otherwise be substantially equivalent to your coverage before the date of the suspension.

(5) If you are eligible for, and have enrolled in, a Medicare supplement policy by reason of disability and you later become covered by an employer or union-based group health plan, the benefits and premiums under your Medicare supplement policy can be suspended, if requested, while you are covered under the employer or union-based group health plan. If you suspend your Medicare supplement policy under these circumstances and later lose your employer or union-based group health plan, your suspended Medicare supplement policy or if that is no longer available, a substantially equivalent policy, will be reinstituted if requested within 90 days of losing your employer or union-based group health plan. If the Medicare supplement policy provided coverage for outpatient prescription drugs and you enrolled in Medicare Part D while your policy was suspended, the reinstituted policy will not have outpatient prescription drug coverage, but will otherwise be substantially equivalent to your coverage before the date of the suspension.

(6) Counseling services are available in this state to provide advice concerning your purchase of Medicare supplement insurance and concerning medical assistance through the Medi-Cal program, including benefits as a qualified Medicare beneficiary (QMB) and a specified low-income Medicare beneficiary (SLMB). If you want to discuss buying Medicare supplement insurance with a trained insurance counselor, call the California Department of Insurance's toll-free telephone number 1-800-927-HELP, or access the department's Internet Web site, www.insurance.ca.gov, and ask how to contact your local Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) office. HICAP is a service provided free of charge by the State of California.

(Questions)

If you lost or are losing other health insurance coverage and received a notice from your prior insurer saying you were eligible for guaranteed issue of a Medicare supplement insurance policy or that you had certain rights to buy such a policy, you may be guaranteed acceptance in one or more of our Medicare supplement plans. Please include a copy of the notice from your prior insurer with your application. PLEASE ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS.

[Please mark Yes or No below with an "X."]

To the best of your knowledge,

(1)

(a) Did you turn 65 years of age in the last 6 months?

Yes____ No____

(b) Did you enroll in Medicare Part B in the last 6 months?

Yes____ No____

(c) If yes, what is the effective date?___________________

(2) Are you covered for medical assistance through California's Medi-Cal program?

NOTE TO APPLICANT: If you have a share of cost under the Medi-Cal program, please answer NO to this question.

Yes____ No____

If yes,

(a) Will Medi-Cal pay your premiums for this Medicare supplement policy?

Yes____ No____

(b) Do you receive benefits from Medi-Cal OTHER THAN payments toward your Medicare Part B premium?

Yes____ No____

(3)

(a) If you had coverage from any Medicare plan other than original Medicare within the past 63 days (for example, a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medicare HMO or PPO), fill in your start and end dates below. If you are still covered under this plan, leave "END" blank.

START __/__/__ END __/__/__

(b) If you are still covered under the Medicare plan, do you intend to replace your current coverage with this new Medicare supplement policy?

Yes____ No____

(c) Was this your first time in this type of Medicare plan?

Yes____ No____

(d) Did you drop a Medicare supplement policy to enroll in the Medicare plan?

Yes____ No____

(4)

(a) Do you have another Medicare supplement policy in force?

Yes____ No____

(b) If so, with what company, and what plan do you have? [optional for direct mailers]

Yes____ No____

(c) If so, do you intend to replace your current Medicare supplement policy with this policy?

Yes____ No____

(5) Have you had coverage under any other health insurance within the past 63 days (For example, an employer, union, or individual plan)?

Yes____ No____

(a) If so, with what companies and what kind of policy?

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

(b) What are your dates of coverage under the other policy?

START __/__/__ END __/__/__

(If you are still covered under the other policy, leave "END" blank.)

(b) Agents shall list any other health insurance policies they have sold to the applicant as follows:

(1) List policies sold that are still in force.

(2) List policies sold in the past five years that are no longer in force.

(c) In the case of a direct response issuer, a copy of the application or supplemental form, signed by the applicant, and acknowledged by the issuer, shall be returned to the applicant by the issuer upon delivery of the policy.

(d) Upon determining that a sale will involve replacement of Medicare supplement coverage, any issuer, other than a direct response issuer, or its agent, shall furnish the applicant, prior to issuance for delivery of the Medicare supplement policy or certificate, a notice regarding replacement of Medicare supplement coverage. One copy of the notice signed by the applicant and the agent, except when the coverage is sold without an agent, shall be provided to the applicant and an additional signed copy shall be retained by the issuer as provided in Section 10508. A direct response issuer shall deliver to the applicant at the time of the issuance of the policy the notice regarding replacement of Medicare supplement coverage.

(e) The notice required by subdivision (d) for an issuer shall be in the form specified by the commissioner, using, to the extent practicable, a model notice prepared by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners for this purpose. The replacement notice shall be printed in no less than 12-point type in substantially the following form:

[Insurer's name and address]

NOTICE TO APPLICANT REGARDING REPLACEMENT OF MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT COVERAGE OR MEDICARE ADVANTAGE

SAVE THIS NOTICE! IT MAY BE IMPORTANT IN THE FUTURE.

If you intend to cancel or terminate existing Medicare supplement or Medicare Advantage insurance and replace it with coverage issued by [company name], please review the new coverage carefully and replace the existing coverage ONLY if the new coverage materially improves your position. DO NOT CANCEL YOUR PRESENT COVERAGE UNTIL YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR NEW POLICY AND ARE SURE THAT YOU WANT TO KEEP IT.

If you decide to purchase the new coverage, you will have 30 days after you receive the policy to return it to the insurer, for any reason, and receive a refund of your money.

If you want to discuss buying Medicare supplement or Medicare Advantage coverage with a trained insurance counselor, call the California Department of Insurance's toll-free telephone number 1-800-927-HELP, and ask how to contact your local Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) office. HICAP is a service provided free of charge by the State of California.

STATEMENT TO APPLICANT FROM THE INSURER AND AGENT: I have reviewed your current health insurance coverage. To the best of my knowledge, the replacement of insurance involved in this transaction does not duplicate coverage or, if applicable, Medicare Advantage coverage because you intend to terminate your existing Medicare supplement coverage or leave your Medicare Advantage plan. In addition, the replacement coverage contains benefits that are clearly and substantially greater than your current benefits for the following reasons:

__ Additional benefits that are: ______

__ No change in benefits, but lower premiums.

__ Fewer benefits and lower premiums.

__ Plan has outpatient prescription drug coverage and applicant is enrolled in Medicare Part D.

__ Disenrollment from a Medicare Advantage plan. Reasons for disenrollment:

__ Other reasons specified here: ______

1. Note: If the issuer of the Medicare supplement policy being applied for does not impose, or is otherwise prohibited from imposing, preexisting condition limitations, please skip to statement 3 below. Health conditions that you may presently have (preexisting conditions) may not be immediately or fully covered under the new policy. This could result in denial or delay of a claim for benefits under the new policy, whereas a similar claim might have been payable under your present policy.

2. State law provides that your replacement Medicare supplement policy may not contain new preexisting conditions, waiting periods, elimination periods, or probationary periods. The insurer will waive any time periods applicable to preexisting conditions, waiting periods, elimination periods, or probationary periods in the new coverage for similar benefits to the extent that time was spent (depleted) under the original policy.

3. If you still wish to terminate your present policy and replace it with new coverage, be certain to truthfully and completely answer any and all questions on the application concerning your medical and health history. Failure to include all material medical information on an application requesting that information may provide a basis for the insurer to deny any future claims and to refund your premium as though your policy had never been in force. After the application has been completed and before you sign it, review it carefully to be certain that all information has been properly recorded. [If the policy or certificate is guaranteed issue, this paragraph need not appear.]

DO NOT CANCEL YOUR PRESENT POLICY UNTIL YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR NEW POLICY AND ARE SURE THAT YOU WANT TO KEEP IT.

(Signature of Agent, Broker, or Other Representative)

(Signature of Applicant)

(Date)

(f) An issuer, broker, agent, or other person shall not cause an insured to replace a Medicare supplement insurance policy unnecessarily. In recommending replacement of any Medicare supplement insurance, an agent shall make reasonable efforts to determine the appropriateness to the potential insured.

(g) An issuer shall not require, request, or obtain health information as part of the application process for an applicant who is eligible for guaranteed issuance of, or open enrollment for, any Medicare supplement coverage pursuant to Section 10192.11 or 10192.12, except for purposes of paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 10192.11 when the applicant is first enrolled in Medicare Part B. The application form shall include a clear and conspicuous statement that the applicant is not required to provide health information during a period where guaranteed issue or open enrollment applies, as specified in Section 10192.11 or 10192.12, except for purposes of paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 10192.11 when the applicant is first enrolled in Medicare Part B, and shall inform the applicant of those periods of guaranteed issuance of Medicare supplement coverage. This subdivision does not prohibit an issuer from requiring proof of eligibility for a guaranteed issuance of Medicare supplement coverage.

(h) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2017.

Ca. Ins. Code § 10192.18

Amended by Stats 2016 ch 86 (SB 1171),s 207, eff. 1/1/2017.

Added by Stats 2015 ch 348 (AB 1515),s 21, eff. 1/1/2016.