Bill Text: CT SB00596 | 2013 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: An Act Concerning The Duties Of The Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2013-05-30 - House Calendar Number 660 [SB00596 Detail]

Download: Connecticut-2013-SB00596-Introduced.html

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General Assembly		Raised Bill No. 596
January Session, 2013		LCO No. 1136
		*01136_______INS*
Referred to Committee on INSURANCE AND REAL ESTATE
Introduced by:
(INS)

AN ACT CONCERNING THE DUTIES OF THE CONNECTICUT HEALTH INSURANCE EXCHANGE.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 38a-1084 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):

The exchange shall:

(1) Administer the exchange for both qualified individuals and qualified employers;

(2) Commission surveys of individuals, small employers and health care providers on issues related to health care and health care coverage;

(3) Implement procedures for the certification, recertification and decertification, consistent with guidelines developed by the Secretary under Section 1311(c) of the Affordable Care Act, and section 38a-1086, of health benefit plans as qualified health plans;

(4) Provide for the operation of a toll-free telephone hotline to respond to requests for assistance;

(5) Provide for enrollment periods, as provided under Section 1311(c)(6) of the Affordable Care Act;

(6) Maintain an Internet web site through which enrollees and prospective enrollees of qualified health plans may obtain standardized comparative information on such plans including, but not limited to, the enrollee satisfaction survey information under Section 1311(c)(4) of the Affordable Care Act and any other information or tools to assist enrollees and prospective enrollees evaluate qualified health plans offered through the exchange;

(7) Publish the average costs of licensing, regulatory fees and any other payments required by the exchange and the administrative costs of the exchange, including information on [monies] moneys lost to waste, fraud and abuse, on an Internet web site to educate individuals on such costs;

(8) Assign a rating to each qualified health plan offered through the exchange in accordance with the criteria developed by the Secretary under Section 1311(c)(3) of the Affordable Care Act, and determine each qualified health plan's level of coverage in accordance with regulations issued by the Secretary under Section 1302(d)(2)(A) of the Affordable Care Act;

(9) Use a standardized format for presenting health benefit options in the exchange, including the use of the uniform outline of coverage established under Section 2715 of the Public Health Service Act, 42 USC 300gg-15, as amended from time to time;

(10) Inform individuals, in accordance with Section 1413 of the Affordable Care Act, of eligibility requirements for the Medicaid program under Title XIX of the Social Security Act, as amended from time to time, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) under Title XXI of the Social Security Act, as amended from time to time, or any applicable state or local public program, and enroll an individual in such program if the exchange determines, through screening of the application by the exchange, that such individual is eligible for any such program;

(11) Collaborate with the Department of Social Services, to the extent possible, to allow an enrollee who loses premium tax credit eligibility under Section 36B of the Internal Revenue Code and is eligible for HUSKY Plan, Part A or any other state or local public program, to remain enrolled in a qualified health plan;

(12) Establish and make available by electronic means a calculator to determine the actual cost of coverage after application of any premium tax credit under Section 36B of the Internal Revenue Code and any cost-sharing reduction under Section 1402 of the Affordable Care Act;

(13) Establish a program for small employers through which qualified employers may access coverage for their employees and that shall enable any qualified employer to specify a level of coverage so that any of its employees may enroll in any qualified health plan offered through the exchange at the specified level of coverage;

(14) Offer enrollees and small employers the option of having the exchange collect and administer premiums, including through allocation of premiums among the various insurers and qualified health plans chosen by individual employers;

(15) Grant a certification, subject to Section 1411 of the Affordable Care Act, attesting that, for purposes of the individual responsibility penalty under Section 5000A of the Internal Revenue Code, an individual is exempt from the individual responsibility requirement or from the penalty imposed by said Section 5000A because:

(A) There is no affordable qualified health plan available through the exchange, or the individual's employer, covering the individual; or

(B) The individual meets the requirements for any other such exemption from the individual responsibility requirement or penalty;

(16) Provide to the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States the following:

(A) A list of the individuals granted a certification under subdivision (15) of this section, including the name and taxpayer identification number of each individual;

(B) The name and taxpayer identification number of each individual who was an employee of an employer but who was determined to be eligible for the premium tax credit under Section 36B of the Internal Revenue Code because:

(i) The employer did not provide minimum essential health benefits coverage; or

(ii) The employer provided the minimum essential coverage but it was determined under Section 36B(c)(2)(C) of the Internal Revenue Code to be unaffordable to the employee or not provide the required minimum actuarial value; and

(C) The name and taxpayer identification number of:

(i) Each individual who notifies the exchange under Section 1411(b)(4) of the Affordable Care Act that such individual has changed employers; and

(ii) Each individual who ceases coverage under a qualified health plan during a plan year and the effective date of that cessation;

(17) Provide to each employer the name of each employee, as described in subparagraph (B) of subdivision (16) of this section, of the employer who ceases coverage under a qualified health plan during a plan year and the effective date of the cessation;

(18) Perform duties required of, or delegated to, the exchange by the Secretary or the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States related to determining eligibility for premium tax credits, reduced cost-sharing or individual responsibility requirement exemptions;

(19) Select entities qualified to serve as Navigators in accordance with Section 1311(i) of the Affordable Care Act and award grants to enable Navigators to:

(A) Conduct public education activities to raise awareness of the availability of qualified health plans;

(B) Distribute fair and impartial information concerning enrollment in qualified health plans and the availability of premium tax credits under Section 36B of the Internal Revenue Code and cost-sharing reductions under Section 1402 of the Affordable Care Act;

(C) Facilitate enrollment in qualified health plans;

(D) Provide referrals to the Office of the Healthcare Advocate or health insurance ombudsman established under Section 2793 of the Public Health Service Act, 42 USC 300gg-93, as amended from time to time, or any other appropriate state agency or agencies, for any enrollee with a grievance, complaint or question regarding the enrollee's health benefit plan, coverage or a determination under that plan or coverage; and

(E) Provide information in a manner that is culturally and linguistically appropriate to the needs of the population being served by the exchange;

(20) Review the rate of premium growth within and outside the exchange and consider such information in developing recommendations on whether to continue limiting qualified employer status to small employers;

(21) Credit the amount, in accordance with Section 10108 of the Affordable Care Act, of any free choice voucher to the monthly premium of the plan in which a qualified employee is enrolled and collect the amount credited from the offering employer;

(22) Consult with stakeholders relevant to carrying out the activities required under sections 38a-1080 to 38a-1090, inclusive, including, but not limited to:

(A) Individuals who are knowledgeable about the health care system, have background or experience in making informed decisions regarding health, medical and scientific matters and are enrollees in qualified health plans;

(B) Individuals and entities with experience in facilitating enrollment in qualified health plans;

(C) Representatives of small employers and self-employed individuals;

(D) The Department of Social Services; and

(E) Advocates for enrolling hard-to-reach populations;

(23) Meet the following financial integrity requirements:

(A) Keep an accurate accounting of all activities, receipts and expenditures and annually submit to the Secretary, the Governor, the Insurance Commissioner and the General Assembly a report concerning such accountings;

(B) Fully cooperate with any investigation conducted by the Secretary pursuant to the Secretary's authority under the Affordable Care Act and allow the Secretary, in coordination with the Inspector General of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, to:

(i) Investigate the affairs of the exchange;

(ii) Examine the properties and records of the exchange; and

(iii) Require periodic reports in relation to the activities undertaken by the exchange; and

(C) Not use any funds in carrying out its activities under sections 38a-1080 to 38a-1089, inclusive, that are intended for the administrative and operational expenses of the exchange, for staff retreats, promotional giveaways, excessive executive compensation or promotion of federal or state legislative and regulatory modifications;

(24) Seek to include the most comprehensive health benefit plans that offer high quality benefits at the most affordable price in the exchange and negotiate premiums with health carriers offering or seeking to offer qualified health plans through the exchange; and

(25) Report at least annually to the General Assembly on the effect of adverse selection on the operations of the exchange and make legislative recommendations, if necessary, to reduce the negative impact from any such adverse selection on the sustainability of the exchange, including recommendations to ensure that regulation of insurers and health benefit plans are similar for qualified health plans offered through the exchange and health benefit plans offered outside the exchange. The exchange shall evaluate whether adverse selection is occurring with respect to health benefit plans that are grandfathered under the Affordable Care Act, self-insured plans, plans sold through the exchange and plans sold outside the exchange.

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1	from passage	38a-1084

Statement of Purpose:

To direct the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange to actively negotiate, on behalf of consumers, health insurance premiums with insurers for qualified health plans offered through the exchange.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]