Virginia Law

A. No policy or certificate may be advertised, solicited or issued for delivery in this Commonwealth as a Medicare supplement policy or certificate unless it meets or exceeds the following minimum standards. These are minimum standards and do not preclude the inclusion of other provisions or benefits that are not inconsistent with these standards.

B. The following standards apply to Medicare supplement policies and certificates and are in addition to all other requirements of this chapter.

1. A Medicare supplement policy or certificate shall not exclude or limit benefits for a loss incurred more than six months from the effective date of coverage because it involved a preexisting condition. The policy or certificate shall not define a preexisting condition more restrictively than a condition for which medical advice was given or treatment was recommended by or received from a physician within six months before the effective date of coverage.

2. A Medicare supplement policy or certificate shall not indemnify against losses resulting from sickness on a different basis than losses resulting from accidents.

3. A Medicare supplement policy or certificate shall provide that benefits designed to cover cost sharing amounts under Medicare will be changed automatically to coincide with any changes in the applicable Medicare deductible, copayment or coinsurance amounts. Premiums may be modified to correspond with such changes.

4. A "noncancellable," "guaranteed renewable," or "noncancellable and guaranteed renewable" Medicare supplement policy shall not:

a. Provide for termination of coverage of a spouse solely because of the occurrence of an event specified for termination of coverage of the insured, other than the nonpayment of premium; or

b. Be canceled or nonrenewed by the issuer solely on the grounds of deterioration of health.

5. a. Except as authorized by the State Corporation Commission, an issuer shall neither cancel nor nonrenew a Medicare supplement policy or certificate for any reason other than nonpayment of premium or material misrepresentation.

b. If a group Medicare supplement insurance policy is terminated by the group policyholder and not replaced as provided in subdivision 5 d of this subsection, the issuer shall offer certificateholders an individual Medicare supplement policy. The issuer shall offer the certificateholder at least the following choices:

(1) An individual Medicare supplement policy currently offered by the issuer having comparable benefits to those contained in the terminated group Medicare supplement policy; and

(2) An individual Medicare supplement policy that provides only such benefits as are required to meet the minimum standards as defined in 14VAC5-170-75 C.

c. If membership in a group is terminated, the issuer shall:

(1) Offer the certificateholder the conversion opportunities described in subdivision 5 b of this subsection; or

(2) At the option of the group policyholder, offer the certificateholder continuation of coverage under the group policy.

d. If a group Medicare supplement policy is replaced by another group Medicare supplement policy purchased by the same policyholder, the issuer of the replacement policy shall offer coverage to all persons covered under the old group policy on its date of termination. Coverage under the new group policy shall not result in any exclusion for preexisting conditions that would have been covered under the group policy being replaced.

6. Termination of a Medicare supplement policy or certificate shall be without prejudice to any continuous loss which commenced while the policy was in force, but the extension of benefits beyond the period during which the policy was in force may be predicated upon the continuous total disability of the insured, limited to the duration of the policy benefit period, if any, or to payment of the maximum benefits. Receipt of Medicare Part D benefits will not be considered in determining a continuous loss.

7. If a Medicare supplement policy is modified to eliminate an outpatient prescription drug benefit as a result of requirements imposed by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (42 USC § 1395w-101), the modified policy shall be deemed to satisfy the guaranteed renewal requirements of this subsection.

C. Minimum benefit standards.

1. Coverage of Part A Medicare eligible expenses for hospitalization to the extent not covered by Medicare from the 61st day through the 90th day in any Medicare benefit period;

2. Coverage for either all or none of the Medicare Part A inpatient hospital deductible amount;

3. Coverage of Part A Medicare eligible expenses incurred as daily hospital charges during use of Medicare's lifetime hospital inpatient reserve days;

4. Upon exhaustion of all Medicare hospital inpatient coverage including the lifetime reserve days, coverage of 90% of all Medicare Part A eligible expenses for hospitalization not covered by Medicare subject to a lifetime maximum benefit of an additional 365 days;

5. Coverage under Medicare Part A for the reasonable cost of the first three pints of blood (or equivalent quantities of packed red blood cells, as defined under federal regulations) unless replaced in accordance with federal regulations or already paid for under Part B;

6. Coverage for the coinsurance amount, or in the case of hospital outpatient department services paid under a prospective payment system, the copayment amount of Medicare eligible expenses under Part B regardless of hospital confinement, subject to a maximum calendar year out-of-pocket amount equal to the Medicare Part B deductible established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services;

7. Effective January 1, 1990, coverage under Medicare Part B for the reasonable cost of the first three pints of blood (or equivalent quantities of packed red blood cells, as defined under federal regulations), unless replaced in accordance with federal regulations or already paid for under Part A, subject to the Medicare deductible amount.