Accident and sickness insurance, individual; open enrollment program. (SB780)

Introduced By

Sen. John Watkins (R-Midlothian)

Progress

Introduced
Passed Committee
Passed House
Passed Senate
Signed by Governor
Became Law

Description

Individual accident and sickness insurance; open enrollment program. Repeals the requirement that a health insurer that is, or is successor to, a health services plan provide an open enrollment program for individual accident and sickness contracts. Under the open enrollment program, an individual may purchase a product at any time during the year, with the caveat that the individual serve a 12-month waiting period before services are covered for any preexisting condition. The requirement for such an open enrollment program is inconsistent with guaranteed issue provisions of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that prohibit waiting periods for coverage for preexisting conditions and that provide for limited open enrollment periods. The measure also eliminates certain provisions that set a tax rate of 0.75 percent on premiums from policies sold under the open enrollment program. The measure will become effective January 1, 2014. An enactment clause provides that if the ACA provisions that prohibit exclusions of coverage in the individual health care market based on preexisting conditions are repealed, then insurers that had been offering open enrollment under such an open enrollment program shall operate an open enrollment program, on terms similar to those that have been repealed, until the July 1 following the regular session of the General Assembly next convening after such change in the federal law. Read the Bill »

Outcome

Bill Has Passed

History

DateAction
12/18/2012Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/09/13 13101169D
12/18/2012Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
01/14/2013Impact statement from TAX (SB780)
01/14/2013Reported from Commerce and Labor (14-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
01/14/2013Rereferred to Finance
01/21/2013Impact statement from TAX (SB780)
01/23/2013Reported from Finance (14-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
01/24/2013Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
01/25/2013Read second time and engrossed
01/28/2013Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/02/2013Placed on Calendar
02/02/2013Read first time
02/02/2013Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
02/07/2013Impact statement from TAX (SB780)
02/07/2013Reported from Commerce and Labor with amendment (20-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/11/2013Read second time
02/12/2013Passed by for the day
02/13/2013Read third time
02/13/2013Committee amendment agreed to
02/13/2013Engrossed by House as amended SB780
02/13/2013Passed House with amendment (89-Y 9-N)
02/13/2013VOTE: PASSAGE (89-Y 9-N) (see vote tally)
02/13/2013Passed by temporarily
02/13/2013House amendment agreed to by Senate (37-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/19/2013Enrolled
02/19/2013Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB780ER)
02/19/2013Signed by Speaker
02/20/2013Signed by President
02/21/2013Impact statement from TAX (SB780ER)
03/12/2013G Approved by Governor-Chapter 136 (effective 1/1/14)
03/12/2013G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0136)
03/22/2013Impact statement from TAX (SB780ER)

Video

This bill was discussed on the floor of the General Assembly. Below is all of the video that we have of that discussion, 2 clips in all, totaling 2 minutes.