Section 500.3910a - Nonforfeiture benefits; coverage elements, eligibility, benefit triggers, and benefit length; contingent benefit; premium increase; notification; duties of insurer; limitation on m
THE INSURANCE CODE OF 1956 (EXCERPT)
Act 218 of 1956
500.3910a Nonforfeiture benefits; coverage elements, eligibility, benefit triggers, and benefit length; contingent benefit; premium increase; notification; duties of insurer; limitation on maximum benefits; effective date of section; premiums subject to loss ratio requirements; conditions for offering nonforfeiture benefit.
Sec. 3910a.
(1) This section does not apply to life insurance policies or riders containing accelerated benefits for long-term care.
(2) A policy or certificate offered with nonforfeiture benefits shall have coverage elements, eligibility, benefit triggers, and benefit length that are the same as coverage to be issued without nonforfeiture benefits. The nonforfeiture benefit included in the offer shall be the benefits described in subsection (8).
(3) If the offer required to be made under section 3910 is rejected, the insurer shall provide a contingent benefit upon lapse as described in this section for individual and group policies without nonforfeiture benefits issued on and after June 1, 2007.
(4) If a group policyholder elects to make the nonforfeiture benefit an option to the certificateholder, a certificate shall provide either the nonforfeiture benefit or the contingent benefit upon lapse.
(5) Except as otherwise required, policyholders shall be notified not less than 45 days before the due date of a premium increase and of the amount of the increase.
(6) The contingent benefit on lapse is triggered every time an insurer increases the premium rates to a level that results in a cumulative increase of the annual premium equal to or exceeding the percentage of the insured's initial annual premium as follows based on the insured's issue age, and the policy or certificate lapses within 120 days of the due date of the premium so increased:
TRIGGERS FOR A SUBSTANTIAL PREMIUM INCREASE Percent Increase Over Issue Age Initial Premium 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% 63 58% 64 54% 65 50% 66 48% 67 46% 68 44% 69 42% 70 40% 71 38% 72 36% 73 34% 74 32% 75 30% 76 28% 77 26% 78 24% 79 22% 80 20% 81 19% 82 18% 83 17% 84 16% 85 15% 86 14% 87 13% 88 12% 89 11% 90 and over 10%(7) On or before the effective date of a substantial premium increase as defined in subsection (6), the insurer shall do all of the following:
(a) Offer to reduce policy benefits provided by the current coverage without the requirement of additional underwriting so that required premium payments are not increased.
(b) Offer to convert the coverage to a paid-up status with a shortened benefit period as provided in subsection (8). This option may be elected at any time during the 120-day period under subsection (6).
(c) Notify the policyholder or certificateholder that a default or lapse at any time during the 120-day period under subsection (6) is considered to be the election of the offer to convert under subdivision (b).
(8) Benefits continued as nonforfeiture benefits, including contingent benefits upon lapse, are as follows:
(a) For purposes of this subsection, attained age rating is defined as a schedule of premiums starting from the issue date that increases age at least 1% per year prior to age 50 and at least 3% per year beyond age 50.
(b) For purposes of this subsection, the nonforfeiture benefit shall be of a shortened benefit period providing paid-up long-term care insurance coverage after lapse. The same benefits shall be payable for a qualifying claim, but the lifetime maximum dollars or days of benefits shall be determined as provided in subdivision (c). As used in this subdivision, "same benefits" means amounts and frequency in effect at the time of lapse but not increased thereafter.
(c) The standard nonforfeiture credit will be equal to 100% of the sum of all premiums paid, including the premiums paid prior to any changes in benefits. The insurer may offer additional shortened benefit period options, as long as the benefits for each duration equal or exceed the standard nonforfeiture credit for that duration. However, the minimum nonforfeiture credit shall not be less than 30 times the daily nursing home benefit at the time of lapse. In either event, the calculation of the nonforfeiture credit is subject to the limitation of subsection (9).
(d) The nonforfeiture benefit shall begin not later than the end of the third year following the policy or certificate issue date. The contingent benefit upon lapse shall be effective during the first 3 years as well as thereafter. However, for a policy or certificate with attained age rating, the nonforfeiture benefit shall begin on the earlier of the end of the tenth year following the policy or certificate issue date or the end of the second year following the date the policy or certificate is no longer subject to attained age rating.
(e) Nonforfeiture credits may be used for all care and services qualifying for benefits under the terms of the policy or certificate, up to the limits specified in the policy or certificate.
(9) All benefits paid by the insurer while the policy or certificate is in premium paying status and in the paid-up status shall not exceed the maximum benefits that would be payable if the policy or certificate had remained in premium paying status.
(10) There shall be no difference in the minimum nonforfeiture benefits as required under this section for group and individual policies.
(11) This section is effective June 1, 2007 and shall apply as follows:
(a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b), this section applies to any long-term care policy issued in this state on or after June 1, 2007.
(b) This section does not apply to certificates issued on or after June 1, 2007, under a group long-term care insurance policy as defined in section 3901(c)(i), which policy was in force at the time this section became effective.
(12) Premiums charged for a policy or certificate containing nonforfeiture benefits or a contingent benefit on lapse are subject to the loss ratio requirements of section 3926a treating the policy as a whole.
(13) To determine whether contingent nonforfeiture upon lapse provisions are triggered under subsection (6), a replacing insurer that purchased or otherwise assumed a block or blocks of long-term care insurance policies from another insurer shall calculate the percentage increase based on the initial annual premium paid by the insured when the policy was first purchased from the original insurer.
(14) For qualified long-term care insurance contracts that are level premium contracts, an insurer shall offer a nonforfeiture benefit that meets all of the following:
(a) Is appropriately captioned.
(b) Provides a benefit available in the event of a default in the payment of any premiums and states that the amount of the benefit may be adjusted subsequent to being initially granted only as necessary to reflect changes in claims, persistency, and interest as reflected in changes in rates for premium paying contracts approved by the commissioner for the same contract form.
(c) Provides at least 1 of the following:
(i) Reduced paid-up insurance.
(ii) Extended term insurance.
(iii) Shortened benefit period.
(iv) Other offerings approved by the commissioner that are similar to subparagraphs (i) to (iii).
History: Add. 2006, Act 442, Eff. June 1, 2007
Popular Name: Act 218