HOUSE BILL No. 4836

August 20, 2015, Introduced by Reps. Lyons, Runestad, Theis, Hooker, Hughes, Barrett, Webber and Kosowski and referred to the Committee on Insurance.

 

     A bill to amend 1956 PA 218, entitled

 

"The insurance code of 1956,"

 

by amending section 1204f (MCL 500.1204f), as added by 2006 PA 442,

 

and by adding section 3908 and chapter 39A.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 1204f. (1) Each insurer that sells, solicits, or

 

negotiates long-term care insurance shall ensure that each producer

 

whose duties include selling, soliciting, or negotiating long-term

 

care insurance completes a program of instruction as described in

 

subsection (3) before selling, soliciting, or negotiating long-term

 

care insurance.An individual shall not sell, solicit, or negotiate

 

long-term care insurance unless the individual meets all of the

 

following requirements:

 

     (a) The individual is licensed as an insurance producer for


accident and health or life.

 

     (b) The individual has completed a 1-time long-term care

 

training course as described in this section.

 

     (c) The individual completes ongoing training as described in

 

this section for every 2-year continuing education compliance

 

period after the completion of the 1-time long-term care training

 

course.

 

     (2) An insurer that delivers or issues for delivery long-term

 

care insurance in this state shall do both of the following:

 

     (a) Obtain verification that an insurance producer has

 

received the training described in this section before permitting

 

the insurance producer to sell, solicit, or negotiate the insurer's

 

long-term care insurance products.

 

     (b) Make the verification obtained under subdivision (a)

 

available to the director on the director's request.

 

     (3) An insurance producer selling, soliciting, or negotiating

 

long-term care insurance on the effective date of the amendatory

 

act that added chapter 39A shall not continue to sell, solicit, or

 

negotiate long-term care insurance unless the insurance producer

 

has completed the 1-time training course described in this section

 

within 1 year after the effective date of the amendatory act that

 

added chapter 39A.

 

     (4) (2) A program of instruction The 1-time long-term care

 

training course and ongoing training required under this section

 

may be provided in conjunction with other insurance producer

 

training or separately. To satisfy subsection (1), a (2), an

 

insurance producer may document to an insurer that he or she has

 


obtained training as described in subsection (3) from any of the

 

following:

 

     (a) Any insurer that sells, solicits, or negotiates long-term

 

care insurance.

 

     (b) A program of instruction qualified under section 1204a.

 

     (c) A program of instruction qualified under section

 

1204c.subsections (5) and (6) from a program of study approved

 

under section 1204c.

 

     (5) The 1-time long-term care training course required under

 

this section must not be less than 8 hours, and the ongoing

 

training required under this section must not be less than 4 hours

 

for every 2-year continuing education compliance period after the

 

completion of the 1-time long-term care training course.

 

     (6) (3) A program of instruction The 1-time long-term care

 

training course and ongoing training required under this section

 

shall must consist of topics related to long-term care insurance,

 

and long-term care services, and, if applicable, qualified state

 

long-term care insurance partnership programs, including, but not

 

limited to, all of the following:

 

     (a) State and federal regulations and requirements ,

 

including, but not limited to, laws relating to adult financial

 

exploitation.and the relationship between qualified state long-term

 

care insurance partnership programs and other public and private

 

coverage of long-term care services, including Medicaid.

 

     (b) Available long-term care services and providers.

 

     (c) Changes or improvements in long-term care services or

 

providers.

 


     (d) Alternatives to the purchase of private long-term care

 

insurance.

 

     (e) Differences in eligibility for benefits and tax treatment

 

between policies intended to be federally qualified and those not

 

intended to be federally qualified.

 

     (e) (f) The effect of inflation in eroding the value of

 

benefits and the importance of inflation protection.

 

     (f) (g) Consumer suitability standards and guidelines.

 

     (7) (4) A program of instruction The 1-time long-term care

 

training course and ongoing training required under this section

 

shall must not include any training that is solely oriented to the

 

sales or marketing of an insurer-specific long-term care product.

 

     (8) Satisfying the training requirements of this section in

 

any state satisfies the training requirements in this state.

 

     Sec. 3908. (1) Subject to subsection (2), long-term care

 

insurance that is delivered or issued for delivery in this state

 

after December 31, 2007, and before long-term care partnership

 

program policies are approved for sale in this state, may be

 

converted to or replaced with a long-term care partnership program

 

policy.

 

     (2) Before converting the long-term care insurance to, or

 

replacing the long-term care insurance with, a long-term care

 

partnership program policy under this section, the insured and the

 

insurer shall both agree to the conversion or the replacement.

 

     (3) As used in this section, "long-term care partnership

 

program policy" means that term as defined in section 3957.

 

CHAPTER 39A

 


LONG-TERM CARE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM INSURANCE

 

     Sec. 3957. As used in this chapter:

 

     (a) "Applicant" means that term as defined in section 3901.

 

     (b) "Long-term care partnership program policy" or

 

"partnership policy" means a policy that meets all of the

 

requirements for the long-term care partnership program under

 

section 112c of the social welfare act, 1939 PA 280, MCL 400.112c,

 

and all of the following requirements:

 

     (i) The policy covers an insured who was a resident of this

 

state when coverage first became effective under the policy.

 

     (ii) The policy is either a qualified long-term care insurance

 

contract as that term is defined in section 7702B(b) of the

 

internal revenue code of 1986, 26 USC 7702B, that is issued no

 

earlier than the effective date of the amendatory act that added

 

this chapter or a policy that has been converted or replaced under

 

section 3908.

 

     (iii) The policy meets all of the applicable requirements of

 

chapter 39.

 

     (iv) The policy meets the requirements of the National

 

Association of Insurance Commissioners' model act and model

 

regulation listed in section 1917(b)(5)(A) of title XIX of the

 

social security act, 42 USC 1396p, as required under section 1917

 

(b)(1)(C)(iii)(III) of title XIX of the social security act, 42 USC

 

1396p.

 

     (v) The policy provides the following inflation protection

 

features:

 

     (A) If the policy is sold to an individual who has not

 


attained age 61 as of the date of purchase, the policy must provide

 

compound annual inflation protection.

 

     (B) If the policy is sold to an individual who has attained

 

age 61 but has not attained age 76 as of the date of purchase, the

 

policy must provide some level of inflation protection.

 

     (C) If the policy is sold to an individual who has attained

 

age 76 as of the date of purchase, the policy may provide some

 

level of inflation protection.

 

     (c) "Policy" means that term as defined in section 3901.

 

     Sec. 3959. Pursuant to section 6021 of the deficit reduction

 

act of 2005, Public Law 109-171, and section 112c of the social

 

welfare act, 1939 PA 280, MCL 400.112c, this chapter applies to a

 

long-term care partnership program policy. The applicable sections

 

of chapter 39 also apply to a long-term care partnership program

 

policy.

 

     Sec. 3961. (1) If an insurer or its agent solicits or offers

 

to sell a policy that is intended to qualify as a partnership

 

policy, the insurer or its agent shall provide to a prospective

 

applicant the notice described in section 112c of the social

 

welfare act, 1939 PA 280, MCL 400.112c, or, if filed with and

 

approved by the department, a notice similar to the notice

 

described in section 112c of the social welfare act, 1939 PA 280,

 

MCL 400.112c.

 

     (2) An insurer or its agent shall provide the notice required

 

under subsection (1) to a prospective applicant with the summary of

 

coverage described in section 3933.

 

     Sec. 3963. (1) A partnership policy shall not be delivered or

 


issued for delivery in this state unless the partnership policy is

 

filed with the department and approved by the director under

 

section 2236(1).

 

     (2) A policy submitted to the department for approval as a

 

partnership policy under subsection (1) must be submitted with a

 

completed partnership certification form or a similar form. The

 

completed partnership certification form or similar form also must

 

be approved by the director of the department.

 

     (3) As used in this section, "partnership certification form"

 

means a form developed by the department in consultation with the

 

state department of health and human services.

 

     Sec. 3965. An insurer that issues a partnership policy shall

 

provide copies of the regular reports described in 45 CFR 144.200

 

to 144.214 to the state department of health and human services.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days

 

after the date it is enacted into law.