S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
1768
2009-2010 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
January 12, 2009
___________
Introduced by M. of A. MORELLE, DESTITO, MAGEE, SCHIMMINGER, SCHROEDER,
GUNTHER -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. CAHILL, DIAZ, ESPAILLAT,
GALEF, HOOPER, HOYT, V. LOPEZ, MARKEY, McENENY, MILLMAN, ORTIZ, PHEF-
FER, P. RIVERA, WALKER, WEISENBERG -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Insurance
AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to standardized health
insurance contracts for qualifying small employers and individuals
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Subsection (c) of section 4326 of the insurance law, as
added by chapter 1 of the laws of 1999, subparagraph (A) of paragraph 1
and subparagraph (C) of paragraph 3 as amended by chapter 419 of the
laws of 2000, is amended to read as follows:
(c) The following definitions shall be applicable to the insurance
contracts offered under the program established by this section:
(1) A qualifying small employer is an employer that is either:
(A) An individual proprietor who is the only employee of the busi-
ness[:
(i) without health insurance which provides benefits on an expense
reimbursed or prepaid basis in effect during the twelve month period
prior to application for a qualifying group health insurance contract
under the program established by this section; and
(ii)] WHO resides in a household having a net household income at or
below two hundred eight percent of the non-farm federal poverty level
(as defined and updated by the federal department of health and human
services) or the gross equivalent of such net income;
[(iii) except that the requirements set forth in item (i) of this
subparagraph shall not be applicable where an individual proprietor had
health insurance coverage during the previous twelve months and such
coverage terminated due to one of the reasons set forth in items (i)
through (viii) of subparagraph (C) of paragraph three of subsection (c)
of this section;] or
(B) An employer with:
(i) not more than fifty eligible employees; AND
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04177-01-9
A. 1768 2
(ii) [no group health insurance which provides benefits on an expense
reimbursed or prepaid basis covering employees in effect during the
twelve month period prior to application for a qualifying group health
insurance contract under the program established by this section; and
(iii)] at least thirty percent of its eligible employees receiving
annual wages from the employer at a level equal to or less than thirty
thousand dollars. The thirty thousand dollar figure shall be adjusted
periodically pursuant to subparagraph [(F)] (D) of this paragraph.
[(C) The requirements set forth in item (i) of subparagraph (A) of
this paragraph and in item (ii) of subparagraph (B) of this paragraph
shall not be applicable where an individual proprietor or employer is
transferring from a health insurance contract issued pursuant to the New
York state small business health insurance partnership program estab-
lished by section nine hundred twenty-two of the public health law or
from health care coverage issued pursuant to a regional pilot project
for the uninsured established by section one thousand one hundred eigh-
teen of this chapter.
(D) The twelve month period set forth in item (i) of subparagraph (A)
of this paragraph and in item (ii) of subparagraph (B) of this paragraph
may be adjusted by the superintendent from twelve months to eighteen
months if he determines that the twelve month period is insufficient to
prevent inappropriate substitution of other health insurance contracts
for qualifying group health insurance contracts.
(E)] (C) An individual proprietor or employer shall cease to be a
qualifying small employer if any health insurance which provides bene-
fits on an expense reimbursed or prepaid basis covering the individual
proprietor or an employer's employees, other than qualifying group
health insurance purchased pursuant to this section, is purchased or
otherwise takes effect subsequent to purchase of qualifying group health
insurance under the program established by this section.
[(F)] (D) The wage levels utilized in subparagraph (B) of this para-
graph shall be adjusted annually, beginning in two thousand two. The
adjustment shall take effect on July first of each year. For July first,
two thousand two, the adjustment shall be a percentage of the annual
wage figure specified in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph. For subse-
quent years, the adjustment shall be a percentage of the annual wage
figure which took effect on July first of the prior year. The percentage
adjustment shall be the same percentage by which the current year's
non-farm federal poverty level, as defined and updated by the federal
department of health and human services, for a family unit of four
persons for the forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C.,
changed from the same level established for the prior year.
(2) A qualifying group health insurance contract is a group contract
purchased from a health maintenance organization, corporation or insurer
by a qualifying small employer which provides the benefits set forth in
subsection (d) of this section. The contract must insure not less than
fifty percent of the employees eligible for coverage.
(3)[(A)] A qualifying individual is an employed person[:
(i) who does not have and has not had health insurance with benefits
on an expense reimbursed or prepaid basis during the twelve month period
prior to the individual's application for health insurance under the
program established by this section;
(ii) whose employer does not provide group health insurance and has
not provided group health insurance with benefits on an expense reim-
bursed or prepaid basis covering employees in effect during the twelve
A. 1768 3
month period prior to the individual's application for health insurance
under the program established by this section;
(iii)] WHO resides in a household having a net household income at or
below two hundred eight percent of the non-farm federal poverty level
(as defined and updated by the federal department of health and human
services) or the gross equivalent of such net income; and
[(iv)] WHO is ineligible for Medicare.
[(B) The requirements set forth in items (i) and (ii) of subparagraph
(A) of this paragraph shall not be applicable where an individual is
transferring from a health insurance contract issued pursuant to the
voucher insurance program established by section one thousand one
hundred twenty-one of this chapter, a health insurance contract issued
pursuant to the New York state small business health insurance partner-
ship program established by section nine hundred twenty-two of the
public health law or health care coverage issued pursuant to a regional
pilot project for the uninsured established by section one thousand one
hundred eighteen of this chapter.
(C) The requirements set forth in items (i) and (ii) of subparagraph
(A) of this paragraph shall not be applicable where an individual had
health insurance coverage during the previous twelve months and such
coverage terminated due to:
(i) loss of employment due to factors other than voluntary separation;
(ii) death of a family member which results in termination of coverage
under a health insurance contract under which the individual is covered;
(iii) change to a new employer that does not provide group health
insurance with benefits on an expense reimbursed or prepaid basis;
(iv) change of residence so that no employer-based health insurance
with benefits on an expense reimbursed or prepaid basis is available;
(v) discontinuation of a group health insurance contract with benefits
on an expense reimbursed or prepaid basis covering the qualifying indi-
vidual as an employee or dependent;
(vi) expiration of the coverage periods established by the continua-
tion provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, 29
U.S.C. section 1161 et seq. and the Public Health Service Act, 42
U.S.C. section 300bb-1 et seq. established by the Consolidated Omnibus
Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, as amended, or the continuation
provisions of subsection (m) of section three thousand two hundred twen-
ty-one, subsection (k) of section four thousand three hundred four and
subsection (e) of section four thousand three hundred five of this chap-
ter;
(vii) legal separation, divorce or annulment which results in termi-
nation of coverage under a health insurance contract under which the
individual is covered; or
(viii) loss of eligibility under a group health plan.
(D) The twelve month period set forth in items (i) and (ii) of subpar-
agraph (A) of this paragraph may be adjusted by the superintendent from
twelve months to eighteen months if he determines that the twelve month
period is insufficient to prevent inappropriate substitution of other
health insurance contracts for qualifying individual health insurance
contracts.]
(4) A qualifying individual health insurance contract is an individual
contract issued directly to a qualifying individual and which provides
the benefits set forth in subsection (d) of this section. At the option
of the qualifying individual, such contract may include coverage for
dependents of the qualifying individual.
S 2. This act shall take effect January 1, 2010.