Iowa Admin. Code r. 191-72.7 - Required policy and certificate provisions

(1) All qualified policies and certificates shall meet the following requirements:

a. Have premiums:

(1) Based on the issue age of the applicant; or

(2) Level for the life of the policy or certificate with an adjustment only for the increased benefits resulting from the inflation protection requirements of subrule 72.6(4). Nothing in this rule shall preclude an issuer from reducing premiums of a policy or certificate or using a policy form or certificate form in which the premiums are no longer required to be paid after a specified period of time.

b. Not have premiums based on the attained age of the insured.

c. Include a provision that the policy or certificate will utilize the "insured event" criteria, defined in rule 191-72.3 (514H), for determining eligibility for benefits and for determining the amount of asset disregard. Approval for admission to a nursing facility under the "preadmission screening program," as defined in rule 191-72.3 (514H), shall be deemed sufficient but not necessary to meet this insured event criteria.

d. Include a provision that policy or certificate benefits can be used to purchase nursing facility care or home- and community-based care. Home- and community-based care shall include, at a minimum, but not be limited to, the following:

(1) Home health nursing.

(2) Home health aide services.

(3) Attendant care.

(4) Respite care.

(5) Adult day care services.

All home- and community-based services shall include case management services delivered by a case management agency. An asset disregard will be provided for all benefits used by qualified insureds to purchase "Medicaid-eligible long-term care services" as defined in rule 191-72.3 (514H).

e. Include a provision which allows for a 30-day period within which coverage may be canceled by the applicant by delivering or mailing the evidence of coverage to the issuer or the producer through whom it was effected for a full refund of any premium that was paid. The policy or certificate shall have a notice prominently printed on the first page of the policy or certificate, or attached thereto, stating in substance that the policyholder or certificate holder shall have the right to return the policy or certificate to the issuer or its producer for cancellation within 30 days of its delivery and to have the premium refunded if, after examination of the policy or certificate, the insured person is not satisfied for any reason.

f. Include a provision which, in the event the qualified policy or certificate is about to lapse or the policy or certificate is about to lose qualification status under 72.6(4)"c" (4), offers the policyholder or certificate holder the option to reduce coverage to a lower benefit amount. However, this benefit amount offer, plus the amount of benefits used to date, cannot be less than the minimum benefit amount requirement specified in 72.6(1). The issuer need only allow this offer to be exercised one time. Premiums shall be based on the age of the policyholder or certificate holder at the time of the issuance of the original qualified policy or certificate.

g. Include a provision which, in the event a policyholder or certificate holder lapses a qualified policy or certificate and retains a nonforfeiture benefit, the policy or certificate will maintain its qualification status only so long as the minimum inflation adjusted daily benefit, as defined in 72.6(4)"c" (2), is met or exceeded or the policy or certificate pays at least 80 percent of actual or reasonable charges, and the total of the benefit amount paid to date and the benefit amount available is not less than 365 times the minimum inflation adjusted daily benefit. If at any point while in a nonforfeiture benefit the criteria in this paragraph are not met, the policy or certificate will lose its qualification status and the issuer shall notify the policyholder or certificate holder and the department of insurance of the loss of qualification.

h. Include a provision that, upon sale of a qualified long-term care insurance policy or certificate, the issuer shall do the following:

(1) Offer to collect and store the name and address of an individual designated as an authorized designee by the purchaser to be notified when a policy or certificate lapse is imminent. The issuer must obtain a signed statement from purchasers who do not choose to designate an authorized designee that they have been offered this opportunity and declined. It shall be the issuer's responsibility to notify such designee prior to canceling a policy or certificate due to lack of premium payment. The designee notification shall occur no sooner than 30 days after the beginning of the 30-day grace period for premium payments. The issuer shall permit the policyholder or certificate holder to periodically update the authorized designee. In the case of an applicant who elects not to designate an additional person, the waiver shall state:

Protection against unintended lapse.

I understand that I have the right to designate at least one authorized designee other than myself to receive notice of lapse or termination of this long-term care insurance policy for nonpayment of premium. I understand that notice will not be given until 30 days after a premium is due and unpaid. I elect not to designate any person to receive the notice.

(2) Provide at least a five-month guaranteed reinstatement period for a policyholder or certificate holder whose policy or certificate has lapsed due to nonpayment of premium, who has a cognitive impairment, and who has paid all due and unpaid premiums. The reinstated policy or certificate shall have the same benefits, terms, and premiums as the policy or certificate which lapsed.

i. Include a provision that benefits shall only be paid after the payment of all other benefits to which the policyholder or certificate holder is otherwise entitled, excluding Medicaid. The issuer shall make reasonable efforts to determine whether benefits are available from other policies or certificates or from Medicare. An asset disregard will only be provided for benefits the issuer can document were used to purchase Medicaid-eligible long-term care services as defined in rule 191"72.3(514H) for a qualified insured.

j. Include a provision that the policy form shall not be changed or otherwise modified without the signed acceptance of the policyholder, or include a provision that the certificate form issued under a group long-term care policy shall not be changed or otherwise modified without the signed acceptance of the certificate holder.

(2) Reserved.

Notes

Iowa Admin. Code r. 191-72.7

Amended by IAB May 5, 2021/Volume XLIII, Number 23, effective 6/9/2021