Mich. Comp. Laws § 500.3849 — MI Code / Chapter 500 / Act Act-218-of-1956 / Section 500.3849
Filing and approval requirements; deletion of outpatient prescription drug benefits; issuance of policy; use and change in premium rates; additional forms; availability; conditions and effect of discontinuance; combining forms for purposes of refund or credit calculation; compliance with federal law; “type” defined.
Status: in_force

Sec. 3849.

(1) An insurer shall not deliver or issue for delivery a medicare supplement policy to a resident of this state unless the policy form or certificate form has been filed with and approved by the commissioner in accordance with filing requirements and procedures prescribed by the commissioner.

(2) An insurer shall file any riders or amendments to policy or certificate forms to delete outpatient prescription drug benefits as required by the medicare prescription drug, improvement, and modernization act of 2003, Public Law 108-173, only with the commissioner in the state in which the policy or certificate was issued.

(3) An insurer shall not use or change premium rates for a medicare supplement policy unless the rates, rating schedule, and supporting documentation have been filed with and approved by the commissioner in accordance with the filing requirements and procedures prescribed by the commissioner.

(4) Except as provided in subsection (5), an insurer shall not file for approval more than 1 form of a policy or certificate for each individual policy and group policy standard medicare supplement benefit plan.

(5) With the approval of the commissioner, an issuer may offer up to 4 additional policy forms or certificate forms of the same type for the same standard medicare supplement benefit plan, 1 for each of the following cases:

(a) The inclusion of new or innovative benefits.

(b) The addition of either direct response or agent marketing methods.

(c) The addition of either guaranteed issue or underwritten coverage.

(d) The offering of coverage to individuals eligible for medicare by reason of disability.

(6) Except as provided in subsection (7), an insurer shall continue to make available for purchase any medicare supplement policy form or certificate form issued after the effective date of this chapter that has been approved by the commissioner. A medicare supplement policy form or certificate form shall not be considered to be available for purchase unless the insurer has actively offered it for sale in the previous 12 months.

(7) An insurer may discontinue the availability of a medicare supplement policy form or certificate form if the insurer provides to the commissioner in writing its decision to discontinue at least 30 days prior to discontinuing the availability of the form of the medicare supplement policy. After receipt of the notice by the commissioner, the insurer shall no longer offer for sale the medicare supplement policy form or certificate form in this state.

(8) An insurer that discontinues the availability of a medicare supplement policy form or certificate form pursuant to subsection (7) shall not file for approval a new medicare supplement policy form or certificate form of the same type for the same standard medicare supplement benefit plan as the discontinued form for a period of 5 years after the insurer provides notice to the commissioner of the discontinuance. The period of discontinuance may be reduced if the commissioner determines that a shorter period is appropriate.

(9) The sale or other transfer of medicare supplement business to another insurer shall be considered a discontinuance for the purposes of this section. In addition, a change in the rating structure or methodology shall be considered a discontinuance under this section unless the insurer complies with the following requirements:

(a) The insurer provides an actuarial memorandum, in a form and manner prescribed by the commissioner, describing the manner in which the revised rating methodology and resultant rates differ from the existing methodology and existing rates.

(b) The insurer does not subsequently put into effect a change of rates or rating factors that would cause the percentage differential between the discontinued and subsequent rates as described in the actuarial memorandum to change. The commissioner may approve a change to the differential that is in the public interest.

(10) The experience of all medicare supplement policy forms or certificate forms of the same type in a standard medicare supplement benefit plan shall be combined for purposes of the refund or credit calculation prescribed in section 3853 except that forms assumed under an assumption reinsurance agreement shall not be combined with the experience of other forms for purposes of the refund or credit calculation.

(11) Each insurer that issues medicare supplement policies for delivery in this state shall comply with sections 1842 and 1882 of title XVIII of the social security act, 42 USC 1395u and 1395ss, and shall certify that compliance on the medicare supplement insurance experience reporting form.

(12) For the purposes of this section, "type" means an individual policy, a group policy, an individual medicare select policy, or a group medicare select policy.

History: Add. 1992, Act 84, Imd. Eff. June 2, 1992; Am. 2006, Act 462, Imd. Eff. Dec. 20, 2006