2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 38 - Insurance › Chapter 71 - Accident And Health Insurance › Section 38-71-370. Optional provisions.

Except as provided in Section 38-71-410, no individual accident, health, or accident and health policy delivered or issued for delivery to any person in this State may contain provisions respecting the matters set forth below unless the provisions are in the words in which they appear in this section. However, the insurer may, at its option, use in lieu of these provisions a corresponding provision of different wording approved by the director or his designee which is not less favorable in any respect to the insured or the beneficiary. Any such provision contained in the policy shall be preceded individually by the appropriate caption appearing in this section, or, at the option of the insurer, by appropriate individual or group captions or subcaptions approved by the director or his designee.
(1) A provision as follows:
CHANGE OF OCCUPATION:
If the insured be injured or contract sickness after having changed his occupation to one classified by the insurer as more hazardous than that stated in this policy or while doing for compensation anything pertaining to an occupation so classified, the insurer will pay only such portion of the indemnities provided in this policy as the premium paid would have purchased at the rates and within the limits fixed by the insurer for such more hazardous occupation. If the insured changes his occupation to one classified by the insurer as less hazardous than that stated in this policy, the insurer, upon receipt of proof of such change of occupation, will reduce the premium rate accordingly and will return the excess pro rata unearned premium from the date of change of occupation or from the policy anniversary date immediately preceding receipt of such proof, whichever is the more recent.
In applying this provision, the classification of occupational risk and the premium rates shall be such as have been last filed by the insurer prior to the occurrence of the loss for which the insurer is liable or prior to date of proof of change in occupation with the state official having supervision of insurance in the state where the insured resided at the time this policy was issued; but if such filing was not required, then the classification of occupational risk and the premium rates shall be those last made effective by the insurer in such state prior to the occurrence of the loss or prior to the date of proof of change in occupation.
(2) A provision as follows:
MISSTATEMENT OF AGE:
If the insured's age has been misstated, the benefits will be those the premium paid would have purchased at the correct age.
(3) A provision as follows:
OTHER INSURANCE IN THIS INSURER:
If the insured has more than one policy __________ [insert designation for limitation such as policy form-type-form], only one policy chosen by the insured will be effective. The company shall refund all premiums paid for all the other policies.
Optional paragraph: If the insured has more than one policy with this company providing a total indemnity for __________ [insert type of coverage or coverages] of more than __________ [insert maximum limit of indemnity or indemnities] the excess insurance is void. The premiums paid for the excess must be returned to the insured.
Or, in lieu thereof:
Insurance effective at one time on the insured under a like policy or policies in this insurer is limited to the one such policy elected by the insured, his beneficiary, or his estate, as the case may be, and the insurer will return all premiums paid for all other such policies.
On every application for insurance the insurer shall ask for the amount of insurance which the applicant currently has in force with such insurer. If the insurer fails to ascertain the amount of insurance which an applicant has in force, all policies issued by the insurer to the applicant remain in force and the insurer is liable for all benefits payable thereunder, unless the applicant has misrepresented the amount of existing coverage on the application.
In all cases where the applicant indicates that other life, accident, and health insurance is in force with the insurer or the insurer's company, the insurer shall provide the applicant with the total amount of existing coverage with the insurer or insurer's company within sixty days.
(4) A provision as follows:
INSURANCE WITH OTHER INSURERS:
If there be other valid coverage, not with this insurer, providing benefits for the same loss on a provision-of-service basis or on an expense-incurred basis and of which this insurer has not been given written notice prior to the occurrence or commencement of loss, the only liability under any expense-incurred coverage of this policy shall be for such proportion of the loss as the amount which would otherwise have been payable hereunder plus the total of the like amounts under all such other valid coverages for the same loss of which this insurer had notice bears to the total like amounts under all valid coverages for such loss and for the return of such portion of the premiums paid as shall exceed the pro rata portion for the amount so determined. For the purpose of applying this provision when other coverage is on a provision-of-service basis, the "like amount" of such other coverage shall be taken as the amount which the services rendered would have cost in the absence of such coverage.
[If the foregoing policy provision is included in a policy which also contains the policy provision set out in item (5) of this section, there shall be added to the caption of the foregoing provision the phrase "EXPENSE-INCURRED BENEFITS". The insurer may, at its option, include in this provision a definition of "other valid coverage", approved as to form by the director or his designee, which definition shall be limited in subject matter to coverage provided by organizations subject to regulation by insurance law or by insurance authorities of this or any other state of the United States or any province of Canada and by hospital or medical service organizations and to any other coverage the inclusion of which may be approved by the director or his designee. In the absence of such definition such term shall not include group insurance, automobile medical payments insurance, or coverage provided by hospital or medical service organizations or by union welfare plans or employer or employee benefit organizations.
For the purpose of applying the foregoing policy provision with respect to any insured, any amount of benefit provided for such insured pursuant to any compulsory benefit statute, including any workers' compensation or employer's liability statute, whether provided by a governmental agency or otherwise shall in all cases be deemed to be "other valid coverage" of which the insurer has had notice. In applying the foregoing policy provision no third-party liability coverage shall be included as "other valid coverage".]
(5) A provision as follows:
INSURANCE WITH OTHER INSURERS:
If there be other valid coverage, not with this insurer, providing benefits for the same loss on other than an expense-incurred basis and of which this insurer has not been given written notice prior to the occurrence or commencement of loss, the only liability for such benefits under this policy shall be for such proportion of the indemnities otherwise provided hereunder for such loss as the like indemnities of which the insurer had notice (including the indemnities under this policy) bear to the total amount of all like indemnities for such loss and for the return of such portion of the premium paid as shall exceed the pro ratio portion for the indemnities thus determined.
[If the foregoing policy provision is included in a policy which also contains the policy provision set out in item (4) of this section, there shall be added to the caption of the foregoing provision the phrase "OTHER BENEFITS". The insurer may, at its option, include in this provision a definition of "other valid coverage" approved as to form by the director or his designee, which definition shall be limited in subject matter to coverage provided by organizations subject to regulation by insurance law or by insurance authorities of this or any other state of the United States or any province of Canada, and to any other coverage the inclusion of which may be approved by the director or his designee. In the absence of such definition such term shall not include group insurance or benefits provided by union welfare plans or by employer or employee benefit organizations.
For the purpose of applying the foregoing policy provision with respect to any insured, any amount of benefit provided for such insured pursuant to any compulsory benefit statute, including any workers' compensation or employer's liability statute, whether provided by a governmental agency or otherwise shall in all cases be deemed to be "other valid coverage" of which the insurer has had notice. In applying the foregoing policy provision no third-party liability coverage shall be included as "other valid coverage".]
(6) A provision as follows:
RELATION OF EARNINGS TO INSURANCE:
If the total monthly amount of loss-of-time benefits promised for the same loss under all valid loss-of-time coverage upon the insured, whether payable on a weekly or monthly basis, shall exceed the monthly earnings of the insured at the time disability commenced or his average monthly earnings for the period of two years immediately preceding a disability for which claim is made, whichever is the greater, the insurer will be liable only for such proportionate amount of such benefits under this policy as the amount of such monthly earnings or such average monthly earnings of the insured bears to the total amount of monthly benefits for the same loss under all such coverage upon the insured at the time such disability commences and for the return of such part of the premiums paid during such two years as shall exceed the pro ratio amount of the premiums for the benefits actually paid hereunder; but this shall not operate to reduce the total monthly amount of benefits payable under all such coverage upon the insured below the sum of two hundred dollars or the sum of the monthly benefits specified in such coverages, whichever is the lesser, nor shall it operate to reduce benefits other than those payable for loss of time. [The foregoing policy provision may be inserted only in a policy which the insured has the right to continue in force subject to its terms by the timely payment of the premiums (a) until at least age fifty or (b) in the case of a policy issued after age forty-four, for at least five years from its date of issue. The insurer may, at its option, include in this provision a definition of "valid loss-of-time coverage", approved as to form by the director or his designee, which definition shall be limited in subject matter to coverage provided by governmental agencies or by organizations subject to regulation by insurance law or by insurance authorities of this or any other state of the United States or any province of Canada or to any other coverage the inclusion of which may be approved by the director or his designee or any combination of such coverages. In the absence of such definition such term shall not include any coverage provided for such insured pursuant to any compulsory benefit statute, including any workers' compensation or employer's liability statute, or benefits provided by union welfare plans or by employer or employee benefit organization.]
(7) A provision as follows:
UNPAID PREMIUM:
When a claim is paid, any premium due and unpaid may be deducted from the claim payment.
(8) A provision as follows:
ILLEGAL OCCUPATION:
The company is not liable for any loss which results from the insured committing or attempting to commit a felony or from the insured engaging in an illegal occupation.
(9) A provision as follows:
INTOXICANTS AND NARCOTICS:
The company is not liable for any loss resulting from the insured being drunk or under the influence of any narcotic unless taken on the advice of a physician.
HISTORY: Former 1976 Code Section 38-35-460 [1947 (45) 322; 1952 Code Sections 37-485, 37-488, 37-489, 37-491 to 37-493, 37-495 to 37-497; 1956 (49) 2029; 1962 Code Section 37-475; 1980 Act No. 354, Section 1; 1981 Act No. 35, Sections 1, 2] recodified as Section 38-71-370 by 1987 Act No. 155, Section 1; 1988 Act No. 394, Sections 4-8; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 760.