HOUSE BILL No. 6651

 

November 13, 2008, Introduced by Rep. Meisner and referred to the Committee on Insurance.

 

      A bill to amend 1956 PA 218, entitled

 

"The insurance code of 1956,"

 

by amending sections 3910a, 3910b, 3925, 3926, and 3926a (MCL

 

500.3910a, 500.3910b, 500.3925, 500.3926, and 500.3926a), as

 

added by 2006 PA 442; and to repeal acts and parts of acts.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

 1        Sec. 3910a. (1) This section does not apply to life

 

 2  insurance policies or riders containing accelerated benefits for

 

 3  long-term care.

 

 4        (2) A policy or certificate offered with nonforfeiture

 

 5  benefits shall have coverage elements, eligibility, benefit

 

 6  triggers, and benefit length that are the same as coverage to be

 

 7  issued without nonforfeiture benefits. The nonforfeiture benefit

 


 1  included in the offer shall be the benefits described in

 

 2  subsection (8).

 

 3        (3) If the offer required to be made under section 3910 is

 

 4  rejected, the insurer shall provide a contingent benefit upon

 

 5  lapse as described in this section for individual and group

 

 6  policies without nonforfeiture benefits. issued on and after June

 

 7  1, 2007.

 

 8        (4) If a group policyholder elects to make the nonforfeiture

 

 9  benefit an option to the certificateholder, a certificate shall

 

10  provide either the nonforfeiture benefit or the contingent

 

11  benefit upon lapse.

 

12        (5) Except as otherwise required, policyholders shall be

 

13  notified not less than 45 days before the due date of a premium

 

14  increase and of the amount of the increase.

 

15        (6) The contingent benefit on lapse is triggered every time

 

16  an insurer increases the premium rates to a level that results in

 

17  a cumulative increase of the annual premium equal to or exceeding

 

18  the percentage of the insured's initial annual premium as follows

 

19  based on the insured's issue age, and the policy or certificate

 

20  lapses within 120 days of the due date of the premium so

 

21  increased:

 

 

22        TRIGGERS FOR A SUBSTANTIAL PREMIUM INCREASE

 

 

 

23                                  Percent Increase Over

24         Issue Age                   Initial Premium

25       29 and under                       200%


         30-34                           190%

         35-39                           170%

         40-44                           150%

         45-49                           130%

         50-54                           110%

         55-59                            90%

          60                              70%

          61                              66%

          62                              62%

10           63                              58%

11           64                              54%

12           65                              50%

13           66                              48%

14           67                              46%

15           68                              44%

16           69                              42%

17           70                              40%

18           71                              38%

19           72                              36%

20           73                              34%

21           74                              32%

22           75                              30%

23           76                              28%

24           77                              26%

25           78                              24%

26           79                              22%

27           80                              20%

28           81                              19%

29           82                              18%

30           83                              17%

31           84                              16%


          85                              15%

          86                              14%

          87                              13%

         88                              12%

          89                              11%

      90 and over                         10%

 

 

 7        (7) On or before the effective date of a substantial premium

 

 8  increase as defined in subsection (6), the insurer shall do all

 

 9  of the following:

 

10        (a) Offer to reduce policy benefits provided by the current

 

11  coverage without the requirement of additional underwriting so

 

12  that required premium payments are not increased.

 

13        (b) Offer to convert the coverage to a paid-up status with a

 

14  shortened benefit period as provided in subsection (8). This

 

15  option may be elected at any time during the 120-day period under

 

16  subsection (6).

 

17        (c) Notify the policyholder or certificateholder that a

 

18  default or lapse at any time during the 120-day period under

 

19  subsection (6) is considered to be the election of the offer to

 

20  convert under subdivision (b).

 

21        (8) Benefits continued as nonforfeiture benefits, including

 

22  contingent benefits upon lapse, are as follows:

 

23        (a) For purposes of this subsection, attained age rating is

 

24  defined as a schedule of premiums starting from the issue date

 

25  that increases age at least 1% per year prior to age 50 and at

 

26  least 3% per year beyond age 50.

 

27        (b) For purposes of this subsection, the nonforfeiture


 

 1  benefit shall be of a shortened benefit period providing paid-up

 

 2  long-term care insurance coverage after lapse. The same benefits

 

 3  shall be payable for a qualifying claim, but the lifetime maximum

 

 4  dollars or days of benefits shall be determined as provided in

 

 5  subdivision (c). As used in this subdivision, "same benefits"

 

 6  means amounts and frequency in effect at the time of lapse but

 

 7  not increased thereafter.

 

 8        (c) The standard nonforfeiture credit will be equal to 100%

 

 9  of the sum of all premiums paid, including the premiums paid

 

10  prior to any changes in benefits. The insurer may offer

 

11  additional shortened benefit period options, as long as the

 

12  benefits for each duration equal or exceed the standard

 

13  nonforfeiture credit for that duration. However, the minimum

 

14  nonforfeiture credit shall not be less than 30 times the daily

 

15  nursing home benefit at the time of lapse. In either event, the

 

16  calculation of the nonforfeiture credit is subject to the

 

17  limitation of subsection (9).

 

18        (d) The nonforfeiture benefit shall begin not later than the

 

19  end of the third year following the policy or certificate issue

 

20  date. The contingent benefit upon lapse shall be effective during

 

21  the first 3 years as well as thereafter. However, for a policy or

 

22  certificate with attained age rating, the nonforfeiture benefit

 

23  shall begin on the earlier of the end of the tenth year following

 

24  the policy or certificate issue date or the end of the second

 

25  year following the date the policy or certificate is no longer

 

26  subject to attained age rating.

 

27        (e) Nonforfeiture credits may be used for all care and


 

 1  services qualifying for benefits under the terms of the policy or

 

 2  certificate, up to the limits specified in the policy or

 

 3  certificate.

 

 4        (9) All benefits paid by the insurer while the policy or

 

 5  certificate is in premium paying status and in the paid-up status

 

 6  shall not exceed the maximum benefits that would be payable if

 

 7  the policy or certificate had remained in premium paying status.

 

 8        (10) There shall be no difference in the minimum

 

 9  nonforfeiture benefits as required under this section for group

 

10  and individual policies.

 

11        (11) This section is effective June 1, 2007 and shall apply

 

12  as follows: applies to long-term care insurance policies sold

 

13  before, on, or after June 1, 2007.

 

14        (a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b), this

 

15  section applies to any long-term care policy issued in this state

 

16  on or after June 1, 2007.

 

17        (b) This section does not apply to certificates issued on or

 

18  after June 1, 2007, under a group long-term care insurance policy

 

19  as defined in section 3901(c)(i), which policy was in force at the

 

20  time this section became effective.

 

21        (12) Premiums charged for a policy or certificate containing

 

22  nonforfeiture benefits or a contingent benefit on lapse are

 

23  subject to the loss ratio requirements of section 3926a treating

 

24  the policy as a whole.

 

25        (13) To determine whether contingent nonforfeiture upon

 

26  lapse provisions are triggered under subsection (6), a replacing

 

27  insurer that purchased or otherwise assumed a block or blocks of


 

 1  long-term care insurance policies from another insurer shall

 

 2  calculate the percentage increase based on the initial annual

 

 3  premium paid by the insured when the policy was first purchased

 

 4  from the original insurer.

 

 5        (14) For qualified long-term care insurance contracts that

 

 6  are level premium contracts, an insurer shall offer a

 

 7  nonforfeiture benefit that meets all of the following:

 

 8        (a) Is appropriately captioned.

 

 9        (b) Provides a benefit available in the event of a default

 

10  in the payment of any premiums and states that the amount of the

 

11  benefit may be adjusted subsequent to being initially granted

 

12  only as necessary to reflect changes in claims, persistency, and

 

13  interest as reflected in changes in rates for premium paying

 

14  contracts approved by the commissioner for the same contract

 

15  form.

 

16        (c) Provides at least 1 of the following:

 

17        (i) Reduced paid-up insurance.

 

18        (ii) Extended term insurance.

 

19        (iii) Shortened benefit period.

 

20        (iv) Other offerings approved by the commissioner that are

 

21  similar to subparagraphs (i) to (iii).

 

22        Sec. 3910b. (1) A long-term care insurance policy or

 

23  certificate shall provide that a policyholder or

 

24  certificateholder who wishes to reduce coverage and lower the

 

25  policy or certificate premium may choose at least 1 of the

 

26  following options:

 

27        (a) Reducing the lifetime maximum benefit.


 

 1        (b) Reducing the daily, weekly, or monthly benefit amount.

 

 2        (2) In addition to the reduction options listed in

 

 3  subsection (1), a long-term care insurer may offer additional

 

 4  reduction options that are consistent with the policy or

 

 5  certificate design or the insurer's administrative processes.

 

 6        (3) A long-term care insurer shall include in the long-term

 

 7  care insurance policy or certificate a description of the ways in

 

 8  which coverage may be reduced and the process for requesting and

 

 9  implementing a reduction in coverage.

 

10        (4) The age to determine the premium for reduced coverage

 

11  shall be based on the age used to determine the premiums for the

 

12  coverage currently in force.

 

13        (5) A long-term care insurer may limit any reduction in

 

14  coverage to plans available for that policy form and to those for

 

15  which benefits will be available after consideration of claims

 

16  paid or payable.

 

17        (6) If a long-term care insurance policy or certificate is

 

18  about to lapse, the insurer shall provide written notice to the

 

19  insured of the options in subsection (1) to lower the premium by

 

20  reducing coverage and of the premiums applicable to the reduced

 

21  coverage options. The insurer may include in the notice

 

22  additional options to those required in subsection (1). The

 

23  notice shall provide the insured at least 30 days in which to

 

24  elect to reduce coverage, and the policy or certificate shall be

 

25  reinstated without underwriting if the insured elects the reduced

 

26  coverage.

 

27        (7) This section applies to long-term care policies and


 

 1  certificates issued before, on, or after June 1, 2007.

 

 2        Sec. 3925. (1) Except as provided in subsection (2), this

 

 3  This section applies to any long-term care policy or certificate

 

 4  issued in this state before, on, or after June 1, 2007.

 

 5        (2) For a long-term care certificate issued on or after June

 

 6  1, 2007 under a group long-term care insurance policy described

 

 7  in section 3901(c)(i), which policy was in force on June 1, 2007,

 

 8  this section applies on the policy anniversary date following

 

 9  June 1, 2007.

 

10        (2) (3) Other than long-term care policies or certificates

 

11  for which no applicable premium rate or rate schedule increases

 

12  can be made, an insurer shall provide on forms approved by the

 

13  commissioner all of the following information to the applicant at

 

14  the time of application or enrollment or, if the method of

 

15  application does not allow for delivery at that time, an insurer

 

16  shall provide on forms approved by the commissioner all of the

 

17  following information to the applicant no later than at the time

 

18  of delivery of the policy or certificate:

 

19        (a) A statement that the policy may be subject to rate

 

20  increases in the future.

 

21        (b) An explanation of potential future premium rate

 

22  revisions, and the policyholder's or certificateholder's option

 

23  in the event of a premium rate revision.

 

24        (c) The premium rate or rate schedules applicable to the

 

25  applicant that will be in effect until a request is made for an

 

26  increase.

 

27        (d) A general explanation for applying premium rate or rate


 

 1  schedule adjustments that shall include a description of when

 

 2  premium rate or rate schedule adjustments will be effective and

 

 3  the right to a revised premium rate or rate schedule if the

 

 4  premium rate or rate schedule is changed.

 

 5        (e) Information concerning each premium rate increase on the

 

 6  policy or certificate or similar policies or certificates over

 

 7  the past 10 years for this state or any other state that, at a

 

 8  minimum, identifies all of the following:

 

 9        (i) The policies or certificates for which premium rates have

 

10  been increased.

 

11        (ii) The calendar years when the policy or certificate was

 

12  available for purchase.

 

13        (iii) The amount or percent of each increase. The percentage

 

14  may be expressed as a percentage of the premium rate prior to the

 

15  increase and may also be expressed as minimum and maximum

 

16  percentages if the rate increase is variable by rating

 

17  characteristics. An insurer may exclude from this disclosure

 

18  premium rate increases that only apply to blocks of business

 

19  acquired from another nonaffiliated insurer or the long-term care

 

20  policies or certificates acquired from another nonaffiliated

 

21  insurer when those increases occurred prior to the acquisition.

 

22  If an acquiring insurer files for a rate increase on a long-term

 

23  care policy or certificate acquired from a nonaffiliated insurer

 

24  or a block of policies or certificates acquired from a

 

25  nonaffiliated insurer before the later of June 1, 2007 or the end

 

26  of a 24-month period following the acquisition of the block of

 

27  policies or certificates, the acquiring insurer may exclude that


 

 1  rate increase from this disclosure. However, the nonaffiliated

 

 2  selling company shall include the disclosure of that rate

 

 3  increase as provided in subparagraph (i). If the acquiring insurer

 

 4  files for a subsequent rate increase, even within the 24-month

 

 5  period, on the same policy or certificate acquired from a

 

 6  nonaffiliated insurer or block of policies or certificates

 

 7  acquired from a nonaffiliated insurer, the acquiring insurer

 

 8  shall make all disclosures required by this subdivision,

 

 9  including disclosure of the earlier rate increase.

 

10        (3) (4) The insurer may, in a fair manner, provide

 

11  explanatory information related to the rate increases in addition

 

12  to that required under subsection (3) (2).

 

13        (4) (5) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, an

 

14  applicant shall sign an acknowledgment at the time of application

 

15  that the insurer made the disclosure required under subsection

 

16  (3) (2). If due to the method of application the applicant cannot

 

17  sign an acknowledgment at the time of application, the applicant

 

18  shall sign an acknowledgment that the insurer made the disclosure

 

19  required under subsection (3) (2) no later than at the time of

 

20  delivery of the policy or certificate.

 

21        (5) (6) An insurer shall provide notice of an upcoming

 

22  premium rate schedule increase to all policyholders or

 

23  certificateholders, if applicable, at least 45 days prior to the

 

24  implementation of the premium rate schedule increase by the

 

25  insurer. The notice shall include the information required by

 

26  subsection (3) (2) when the rate increase is implemented.

 

27        (6) (7) A long-term care insurer shall provide to an


 

 1  applicant a long-term care insurance personal worksheet approved

 

 2  by the commissioner that the applicant can use for help in

 

 3  determining whether long-term care insurance should be purchased.

 

 4        (7) (8) A long-term care insurer shall provide to an

 

 5  applicant who is 60 years of age or older or who is disabled a

 

 6  current brochure, or the web address where the brochure can be

 

 7  obtained and the telephone number for the agency that can provide

 

 8  the brochure, from the state's medicare medicaid assistance

 

 9  program that contains information on the availability of free and

 

10  independent insurance purchasing and public benefits counseling.

 

11        Sec. 3926. (1) This section applies to any long-term care

 

12  policy or certificate issued in this state before, on, or after

 

13  June 1, 2007.

 

14        (2) An insurer shall provide all of the following

 

15  information to the commissioner 30 days prior to making a long-

 

16  term care insurance policy or certificate available for sale:

 

17        (a) A copy of the disclosure documents required in section

 

18  3925.

 

19        (b) An actuarial certification consisting of at least all of

 

20  the following:

 

21        (i) A statement that the initial premium rate schedule is

 

22  sufficient to cover anticipated costs under moderately adverse

 

23  experience and that the premium rate schedule is reasonably

 

24  expected to be sustainable over the life of the policy or

 

25  certificate with no future premium increases anticipated.

 

26        (ii) A statement that the policy or certificate design and

 

27  coverage provided have been reviewed and taken into


 

 1  consideration.

 

 2        (iii) A statement that the underwriting and claims

 

 3  adjudication processes have been reviewed and taken into

 

 4  consideration.

 

 5        (iv) A complete description of the basis for contract

 

 6  reserves that are anticipated to be held under the policy or

 

 7  certificate, with sufficient detail or sample calculations

 

 8  provided so as to have a complete depiction of the reserve

 

 9  amounts to be held, a statement that the assumptions used for

 

10  reserves contain reasonable margins for adverse experience, a

 

11  statement that the net valuation premium for renewal years does

 

12  not increase except for attained-age rating where permitted, and

 

13  a statement that the difference between the gross premium and the

 

14  net valuation premium for renewal years is sufficient to cover

 

15  expected renewal expenses or if such a statement cannot be made,

 

16  a complete description of the situations where this does not

 

17  occur. An aggregate distribution of anticipated issues may be

 

18  used as long as the underlying gross premiums maintain a

 

19  reasonably consistent relationship. If the gross premiums for

 

20  certain age groups appear to be inconsistent with this

 

21  requirement, the commissioner may request a demonstration under

 

22  subsection (3) based on a standard age distribution.

 

23        (v) A statement that the premium rate schedule is not less

 

24  than the premium rate schedule for existing similar policies or

 

25  certificates also available from the insurer except for

 

26  reasonable differences attributable to benefits or a comparison

 

27  of the premium schedules for similar policies or certificates


 

 1  that are currently available from the insurer with an explanation

 

 2  of the differences.

 

 3        (3) Prior to the expiration of the 30 days under subsection

 

 4  (2), the commissioner may request an actuarial demonstration that

 

 5  benefits are reasonable in relation to premiums. The actuarial

 

 6  demonstration shall include either premium and claim experience

 

 7  on similar policies or certificates, adjusted for any premium or

 

 8  benefit differences, or relevant and credible data from other

 

 9  studies, or both. If the commissioner asks for this additional

 

10  information, the 30-day time period under subsection (2) is

 

11  tolled until the commissioner receives the requested information.

 

12        Sec. 3926a. (1) Except as provided in subsection (2), this

 

13  This section applies to any long-term care policy or certificate

 

14  issued in this state before, on, or after June 1, 2007.

 

15        (2) For certificates issued on or after June 1, 2007 under a

 

16  group long-term care insurance policy described in section

 

17  3901(c)(i), which policy was in force on June 1, 2007, this

 

18  section applies on the policy anniversary date following June 1,

 

19  2007.

 

20        (2) (3) An insurer shall provide notice of a pending premium

 

21  rate schedule increase, including an exceptional increase, to the

 

22  commissioner at least 30 days prior to the notice to the

 

23  policyholders. This notice to the commissioner shall include all

 

24  of the following:

 

25        (a) Information required by section 3925.

 

26        (b) Certification by a qualified actuary that if the

 

27  requested premium rate schedule increase is implemented and the


 

 1  underlying assumptions, which reflect moderately adverse

 

 2  conditions, are realized, no further premium rate schedule

 

 3  increases are anticipated and that the premium rate filing is in

 

 4  compliance with the provisions of this section.

 

 5        (c) An actuarial memorandum justifying the rate schedule

 

 6  change request that includes all of the following:

 

 7        (i) Lifetime projections of earned premiums and incurred

 

 8  claims based on the filed premium rate schedule increase and the

 

 9  method and assumptions used in determining the projected values,

 

10  including reflection of any assumptions that deviate from those

 

11  used for pricing other policies or certificates currently

 

12  available for sale. Annual values for the 5 years preceding and

 

13  the 3 years following the valuation date shall be provided

 

14  separately. The projections shall include the development of the

 

15  lifetime loss ratio, unless the rate increase is an exceptional

 

16  increase. The projections shall demonstrate compliance with

 

17  subsection (4) (3). For exceptional increases, the projected

 

18  experience shall be limited to the increases in claims expenses

 

19  attributable to the approved reasons for the exceptional increase

 

20  and if the commissioner determines that offsets may exist, the

 

21  insurer shall use appropriate net projected experience.

 

22        (ii) If the rate increase will trigger contingent benefit

 

23  upon lapse, disclosure of how reserves have been incorporated in

 

24  this rate increase.

 

25        (iii) Disclosure of the analysis performed to determine why a

 

26  rate adjustment is necessary, which pricing assumptions were not

 

27  realized and why, and what other actions taken by the insurer


 

 1  have been relied on by the actuary.

 

 2        (iv) A statement that policy design, underwriting, and claims

 

 3  adjudication practices have been taken into consideration.

 

 4        (v) If it is necessary to maintain consistent premium rates

 

 5  for new certificates and certificates receiving a rate increase,

 

 6  the insurer will need to file composite rates reflecting

 

 7  projections of new certificates.

 

 8        (d) A statement that renewal premium rate schedules are not

 

 9  greater than new business premium rate schedules except for

 

10  differences attributable to benefits, unless sufficient

 

11  justification is provided to the commissioner.

 

12        (e) Sufficient information for review and approval of the

 

13  premium rate schedule increase by the commissioner.

 

14        (3) (4) All premium rate schedule increases shall be

 

15  determined in accordance with the following requirements:

 

16        (a) Exceptional increases shall provide that 70% of the

 

17  present value of projected additional premiums from the

 

18  exceptional increase will be returned to policyholders in

 

19  benefits.

 

20        (b) Premium rate schedule increases shall be calculated such

 

21  that the sum of the accumulated value of incurred claims, without

 

22  the inclusion of active life reserves, and the present value of

 

23  future projected incurred claims, without the inclusion of active

 

24  life reserves, will not be less than the sum of the following:

 

25        (i) The accumulated value of the initial earned premium times

 

26  58%.

 

27        (ii) Eighty-five percent of the accumulated value of prior


 

 1  premium rate schedule increases on an earned basis.

 

 2        (iii) The present value of future projected initial earned

 

 3  premiums times 58%.

 

 4        (iv) Eighty-five percent of the present value of future

 

 5  projected premiums not in subparagraph (iii) on an earned basis.

 

 6        (c) If a policy or certificate has both exceptional and

 

 7  other increases, the values in subdivision (b)(ii) and (iv) shall

 

 8  also include 70% for exceptional rate increase amounts.

 

 9        (d) All present and accumulated values used to determine

 

10  rate increases shall use the maximum valuation interest rate for

 

11  contract reserves as specified in section 733(1). The actuary

 

12  shall disclose as part of the actuarial memorandum the use of any

 

13  appropriate averages.

 

14        (4) (5) For each rate increase that is implemented, the

 

15  insurer shall file for review and approval by the commissioner

 

16  updated projections, as described in subsection (3)(c)(i)

 

17  (2)(c)(i), annually for the next 3 years and include a comparison

 

18  of actual results to projected values. The commissioner may

 

19  extend the period to greater than 3 years if actual results are

 

20  not consistent with projected values from prior projections. For

 

21  group insurance certificates that meet the conditions in

 

22  subsection (13) (12), the projection required by this subsection

 

23  shall be provided to the policyholder in lieu of filing with the

 

24  commissioner.

 

25        (5) (6) If any premium rate in the revised premium rate

 

26  schedule is greater than 200% of the comparable rate in the

 

27  initial premium schedule, lifetime projections, as described in


 

 1  subsection (3)(c)(i) (2)(c)(i), shall be filed for review and

 

 2  approval by the commissioner every 5 years following the end of

 

 3  the required period in subsection (5) (4). For group insurance

 

 4  certificates that meet the conditions in subsection (13) (12),

 

 5  the projections required by this subsection shall be provided to

 

 6  the policyholder in lieu of filing with the commissioner.

 

 7        (6) (7) If the commissioner has determined that the actual

 

 8  experience following a rate increase does not adequately match

 

 9  the projected experience and that the current projections under

 

10  moderately adverse conditions demonstrate that incurred claims

 

11  will not exceed proportions of premiums specified in subsection

 

12  (4) (3), the commissioner may require the insurer to implement

 

13  premium rate schedule adjustments or other measures to reduce the

 

14  difference between the projected and actual experience. In

 

15  determining whether the actual experience adequately matches the

 

16  projected experience, consideration should be given to subsection

 

17  (3)(c)(iii) (2)(c)(iii), if applicable.

 

18        (7) (8) If the majority of the policies or certificates to

 

19  which an increase is applicable are eligible for the contingent

 

20  benefit upon lapse, the insurer shall file both of the following

 

21  with the commissioner:

 

22        (a) A plan, subject to commissioner approval, for improved

 

23  administration or claims processing designed to eliminate the

 

24  potential for further deterioration of the policy or certificate

 

25  requiring further premium rate schedule increases, or both, or to

 

26  demonstrate that appropriate administration and claims processing

 

27  have been implemented or are in effect.


 

 1        (b) The original anticipated lifetime loss ratio, and the

 

 2  premium rate schedule increase that would have been calculated

 

 3  according to subsection (4) (3) had the greater of the original

 

 4  anticipated lifetime loss ratio or 58% been used in the

 

 5  calculations described in subsection (4)(b)(i) (3)(b)(i) and (iii).

 

 6        (8) (9) The commissioner shall review, for all policies and

 

 7  certificates included in a filing, the projected lapse rates and

 

 8  past lapse rates during the 12 months following each increase to

 

 9  determine if significant adverse lapsation has occurred or is

 

10  anticipated for any rate increase filing meeting the following

 

11  criteria:

 

12        (a) The rate increase is not the first rate increase

 

13  requested for the specific policy or certificate.

 

14        (b) The rate increase is not an exceptional increase.

 

15        (c) The majority of the policies or certificates to which

 

16  the increase is applicable are eligible for the contingent

 

17  benefit upon lapse.

 

18        (9) (10) If significant adverse lapsation has occurred, is

 

19  anticipated in the filing, or is evidenced in the actual results

 

20  as presented in the updated projections provided by the insurer

 

21  following the requested rate increase, the commissioner may

 

22  determine that a rate spiral exists. Following the determination

 

23  that a rate spiral exists, the commissioner may require the

 

24  insurer to offer, without underwriting, to all in force insureds

 

25  subject to the rate increase the option to replace existing

 

26  coverage with 1 or more reasonably comparable products being

 

27  offered by the insurer or its affiliates. An offer under this


 

 1  subsection is subject to the commissioner's approval, shall be

 

 2  based on actuarially sound principles, but shall not be based on

 

 3  attained age, and shall provide that maximum benefits under any

 

 4  new policy or certificate accepted by an insured shall be reduced

 

 5  by comparable benefits already paid under the existing policy or

 

 6  certificate. The insurer shall maintain the experience of all the

 

 7  replacement insureds separate from the experience of insureds

 

 8  originally issued the policy or certificate. If a rate increase

 

 9  is requested on the policy or certificate, the rate increase

 

10  shall be limited to the lesser of the maximum rate increase

 

11  determined based on the combined experience and the maximum rate

 

12  increase determined based only on the experience of the insureds

 

13  originally issued the policy or certificate plus 10%.

 

14        (10) (11) If the commissioner determines that an insurer has

 

15  exhibited a persistent practice of filing inadequate initial

 

16  premium rates for long-term care insurance, the commissioner, in

 

17  addition to the provisions of subsections (9) and (10) (8) and

 

18  (9), may prohibit the insurer from either of the following:

 

19        (a) Filing and marketing comparable coverage for a period of

 

20  up to 5 years.

 

21        (b) Offering all other similar coverages and limiting

 

22  marketing of new applications to the products subject to recent

 

23  premium rate schedule increases.

 

24        (11) (12) Subsections (1) to (11) (10) do not apply to

 

25  policies or certificates for which the long-term care benefits

 

26  provided by the policy or certificate are incidental, if the

 

27  policy or certificate complies with all of the following:


 

 1        (a) For any plan that may have a cash value, the interest

 

 2  credited internally to determine cash value accumulations,

 

 3  including long-term care, if any, are guaranteed not to be less

 

 4  than the minimum guaranteed interest rate for cash value

 

 5  accumulations without long-term care set forth in the policy or

 

 6  certificate.

 

 7        (b) The portion of the policy or certificate that provides

 

 8  insurance benefits other than long-term care coverage meets the

 

 9  nonforfeiture requirements as applicable in section 4060 or 4072.

 

10        (c) The policy or certificate meets sections 3928, 3933,

 

11  3951, and 3953.

 

12        (d) The portion of the policy or certificate that provides

 

13  insurance benefits other than long-term care coverage meets, as

 

14  applicable, the policy illustrations and disclosure requirements

 

15  under section 4038.

 

16        (e) An actuarial memorandum is filed with the office of

 

17  financial and insurance services regulation that includes all of

 

18  the following:

 

19        (i) A description of the basis on which the long-term care

 

20  rates were determined.

 

21        (ii) A description of the basis for the reserves.

 

22        (iii) A summary of the type of policy, benefits, renewability,

 

23  general marketing method, and limits on ages of issuance.

 

24        (iv) A description and a table of each actuarial assumption

 

25  used. For expenses, an insurer shall include percent of premium

 

26  dollars per policy or certificate and dollars per unit of

 

27  benefits, if any.


 

 1        (v) A description and a table of the anticipated policy or

 

 2  certificate reserves and additional reserves to be held in each

 

 3  future year for active lives.

 

 4        (vi) The estimated average annual premium per policy or

 

 5  certificate and the average issue age.

 

 6        (vii) A statement as to whether underwriting is performed at

 

 7  the time of application. The statement shall indicate whether

 

 8  underwriting is used and, if used, shall include a description of

 

 9  the type or types of underwriting used, such as medical

 

10  underwriting or functional assessment underwriting. For a group

 

11  certificate, the statement shall indicate whether the enrollee or

 

12  any dependent will be underwritten and when underwriting occurs.

 

13        (viii) A description of the effect of the long-term care

 

14  policy or certificate provision on the required premiums,

 

15  nonforfeiture values, and reserves on the underlying insurance

 

16  policy or certificate, both for active lives and those in long-

 

17  term care claim status.

 

18        (12) (13) Subsections (6), (7), and (8) , and (9) do not

 

19  apply to a group insurance policy described in section 3901(c)(i)

 

20  if the policy insures 250 or more persons and the policyholder

 

21  has 5,000 or more eligible employees of a single employer or the

 

22  policyholder, and not the certificate holders, pays a material

 

23  portion of the premium, which shall not be less than 20% of the

 

24  total premium for the group in the calendar year prior to the

 

25  year a rate increase is filed.

 

26        (13) (14) Except as otherwise provided in this section,

 

27  exceptional increases are subject to the same requirements as


 

 1  other premium rate schedule increases. The commissioner may

 

 2  request a review by an independent qualified actuary or a

 

 3  professional qualified actuarial body of the basis for a request

 

 4  that an increase be considered an exceptional increase. The

 

 5  commissioner, in determining that the necessary basis for an

 

 6  exceptional increase exists, shall also determine any potential

 

 7  offsets to higher claims costs.

 

 8        (14) (15) As used in this section:

 

 9        (a) "Exceptional increase" means only those increases filed

 

10  by an insurer as exceptional for which the commissioner

 

11  determines the need for the premium rate increase is justified

 

12  due to changes in laws or regulations applicable to long-term

 

13  care coverage in this state or due to increased and unexpected

 

14  utilization that affects the majority of insurers of similar

 

15  products.

 

16        (b) "Incidental" means that the value of the long-term care

 

17  benefits provided is less than 10% of the total value of the

 

18  benefits provided over the life of the policy or certificate as

 

19  measured on the date of issue.

 

20        (c) "Qualified actuary" means a member in good standing of

 

21  the American academy of actuaries.

 

22        (d) "Similar policies" means all of the long-term care

 

23  insurance policies and certificates issued by an insurer in the

 

24  same long-term care benefit classification as the policy or

 

25  certificate being considered. Certificates of groups described in

 

26  section 3901(c)(i) are not considered similar to policies or

 

27  certificates otherwise issued as long-term care insurance, but


 

 1  are similar to other comparable certificates with the same long-

 

 2  term care benefit classifications. For purposes of determining

 

 3  similar policies, long-term care benefit classifications are

 

 4  defined as follows: institutional long-term care benefits only,

 

 5  noninstitutional long-term care benefits only, or comprehensive

 

 6  long-term care benefits.

 

 7        Enacting section 1. Section 3927 of the insurance code of

 

 8  1956, 1956 PA 218, MCL 500.3927, is repealed.