We believe that the proposed amendments allow flexibility for State - based SHOPs to set and maintain effective dates for initial and annual open enrollment periods to accommodate
coverage effective dates for a group as soon as possible under local market conditions.
With respect to effective dates other than regular effective dates, meaning retroactive or
accelerated coverage effective dates resulting from enrollment under certain special enrollment periods (including birth and marriage), resulting from the resolution of appeals, or resulting from amounts newly due for prior coverage based on issuer corrections of under - billing, we considered a premium payment deadline of 10 - 15 business days from when the issuer receives the enrollment transaction.
Premium rates for MetLife's Issue Age CII are based on age at the time of the
initial coverage effective date and will not increase due to age; premium rates for increases in coverage, including the addition of dependents» coverage, if applicable, will be based on the covered person's age at the time of that increase's effective date.
We believe this balances the need to provide dependents of the deceased a special enrollment period, while addressing requests from commenters to limit the middle of the month and
retroactive coverage effective dates.
Comment: We received comments that requested changes to
coverage effective dates for the newly proposed special enrollment period for losing a dependent as a result of death at § 155.420 (b)(2)(vi).
Premium rates for MetLife's CII are based on age at the time of the
initial coverage effective date and will not increase due to age; premium rates for increases in coverage, including the addition of dependents» coverage, if applicable, will be based on the covered person's age at the time of that increase's effective date.
If the applicant was healthy enough to meet the underwriting criteria the date of death would be compared to
the coverage effective date.
The policy anniversary date, contestable suicide periods, conversion privileges, and optional riders may be based on
the coverage effective date.
If the applicant died before
the coverage effective date, the claim would be denied.
The two most important start dates to define are: policy issue date and coverage effective date
There may be several methods or rules used to establish
the coverage effective date.
Pay your policy premium at the time of application to get the earliest
coverage effective date.
Please review the definitions above for the three ways of determining
the coverage effective date.
Critical illness coverage also ends and premiums are refunded if a diagnosis of cancer or signs, symptoms or investigations leading to a diagnosis, occurs within 90 days of
your coverage effective date, regardless of when a Diagnosis is made.
Within 90 days of
your coverage effective date, a Diagnosis of Cancer occurs or you have signs, symptoms or investigations leading to a Diagnosis of Cancer, regardless of when the Diagnosis is made.
A pre-existing condition can also be an injury or recurrence of an injury that occurred prior to your pet's
coverage effective date.
Illnesses that were symptomatic, noted or treated prior to
the coverage effective date (the date of adoption) are not covered.
We sought comment on the period of time following
the coverage effective date an issuer could be required or permitted to accept a first month's premium payment for that coverage.
Providing
a coverage effective date of the first of the month following the date of death would give the consumer retroactivity if they are reporting the death late in the special enrollment period window.
For the FFE, in cases where a person, consistent with an issuer's payment policy, makes their premium payment after
the coverage effective date, but before the premium payment deadline set by the issuer, the consumer would receive a retroactive effective date.
We believe that it is better to allow payments, if the issuer chooses, after
the coverage effective date.
Some options we considered included providing consumers until
the coverage effective date, or the day before the coverage effective date, to make their first month premium payment.
Most concerns raised by commenters opposed allowing premium payments after
the coverage effective date due to the uncertainty of payment for services provided after the coverage effective date if a premium is not paid and the enrollee is subsequently cancelled.
(i) For coverage being effectuated under regular
coverage effective dates, as provided for in § § 155.410 (f) and 155.420 (b)(1), premium payment deadlines must be no earlier than the coverage effective date, but no later than 30 calendar days from the coverage effective date; and
Response: In response to comments, we believe it makes sense to limit the number of situations that will allow for retroactivity, we have modified the proposed regulatory text to finalize
the coverage effective date as the first day of the month following the date of plan selection, rather than the date of death.
Alternatively, we considered providing consumers additional time after
the coverage effective date to make their premium payment (5 days, 10 days, or 30 days after the coverage effective date).
For the FFEs, we proposed several possible payment deadlines tied to
the coverage effective date for regular effective dates (meaning coverage effective the first day of the following month for plan selections made between the first and fifteenth of the month, and coverage effective the first day of the second month following a plan selection made between the 16th and the end of the month).
For the FFE, in cases where an enrollee, consistent with an issuer's payment policy, makes his or her premium payment after
the coverage effective date, but before the premium payment deadline set by the issuer, the enrollee would receive a retroactive effective date.
We believe that it is appropriate to allow payments, if the issuer chooses, after
the coverage effective date.
This amendment would streamline Exchange operations and align
this coverage effective date option with the accelerated prospective coverage effective date rule as it applies to other special enrollment periods, including the special enrollment period for gaining or becoming a dependent through marriage, as described in (b)(2)(ii) of this section.
There is usually a time period between the purchase date and
coverage effective date.
Comment: Some commenters were confused about the additional language to allow first month's premium payments after
the coverage effective date, thinking that a person's coverage could be effectuated prior to the person making their payment.
Thus, at the Exchange's option, qualified individuals who qualify for a special enrollment period due to gaining or becoming a dependent through birth, adoption, placement for adoption, placement in foster care, or through a child support or other court order, would be able to elect from the same
coverage effective date options, including: the date of qualifying event, the first day of the month following plan selection, or regular coverage effective dates in accordance with paragraph (b)(1).
These amendments would standardize
the coverage effective date options for qualified individuals who have experienced similar qualifying events.
«Travel Guard offers coverage for trip cancellation and interruption if a trip is delayed, cancelled or interrupted due to a sanctioned union labor strike for an airline or other travel supplier, as long as
the coverage effective date is prior to when the strike is foreseeable.»
In simple terms, a pre-existing medical condition is a sickness, injury or other medical condition for which a person receives diagnosis, treatment or advice during the 60 day period prior to
your coverage effective date.
Simply, sicknesses, injuries or other medical conditions existing in the 60 day period prior to
your coverage effective date for which you received diagnosis, treatment or advice are pre-existing conditions.