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SEC. 271. DUPLICATION AND COORDINATION OF MEDICARE-RELATED PLANS.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

 Title[ Title II\Subtitle G                                                           Contents

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       


   Subtitle G--Duplication and Coordination of Medicare-Related Plans


    (a) Treatment of Certain Health Insurance Policies as

Nonduplicative.--Section 1882(d)(3)(A) (42 U.S.C. 1395ss(d)(3)(A)) is

amended--

            (1) in clause (iii), by striking ``clause (i)'' and

        inserting ``clause (i)(II)''; and

            (2) by adding at the end the following:


    ``(iv) For purposes of this subparagraph, a health insurance policy

(other than a Medicare supplemental policy) providing for benefits which

are payable to or on behalf of an individual without regard to other

health benefit coverage of such individual is not considered to

`duplicate' any health benefits under this title, under title XIX, or

under a health insurance policy, and subclauses (I) and (III) of clause

(i) do not apply to such a policy.


    ``(v) For purposes of this subparagraph, a health insurance policy

(or a rider to an insurance contract which is not a health insurance

policy) is not considered to `duplicate' health benefits under this

title or under another health insurance policy if it--

            ``(I) provides health care benefits only for long-term care,

        nursing home care, home health care, or community-based care, or

        any combination thereof,


            ``(II) coordinates against or excludes items and services

        available or paid for under this title or under another health

        insurance policy, and


            ``(III) for policies sold or issued on or after the end of

        the 90-day period beginning on the date of enactment of the

        Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996

        discloses such coordination or exclusion in the policy's outline

        of coverage.


For purposes of this clause, the terms `coordinates' and `coordination'

mean, with respect to a policy in relation to health benefits under this

title or under another health insurance policy, that the policy under

its terms is secondary to, or excludes from payment, items and services

to the extent available or paid for under this title or under another

health insurance policy.


    ``(vi)(I) An individual entitled to benefits under part A or

enrolled under part B of this title who is applying for a health

insurance policy (other than a policy described in subclause (III))

shall be furnished a disclosure statement described in clause (vii) for

the type of policy being applied for. Such statement shall be furnished

as a part of (or together with) the application for such policy.


    ``(II) Whoever issues or sells a health insurance policy (other than

a policy described in subclause (III)) to an individual described in

subclause (I) and fails to furnish the appropriate disclosure statement

as required under such subclause shall be fined under title 18, United

States Code, or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both, and, in

addition to or in lieu of such a criminal penalty, is subject to a civil

money penalty of not to exceed $25,000 (or $15,000 in the case of a

person other than the issuer of the policy) for each such violation.


    ``(III) A policy described in this subclause (to which subclauses

(I) and (II) do not apply) is a Medicare supplemental policy or a health

insurance policy identified under 60 Federal Register 30880 (June 12,

1995) as a policy not required to have a disclosure statement.


    ``(IV) Any reference in this section to the revised NAIC model

regulation (referred to in subsection (m)(1)(A)) is deemed a reference

to such regulation as revised by section 171(m)(2) of the Social

Security Act Amendments of 1994 (Public Law 103-432) and as modified by

substituting, for the disclosure required under section 16D(2),

disclosure under subclause (I) of an appropriate disclosure statement

under clause (vii).


    ``(vii) The disclosure statement described in this clause for a type

of policy is the statement specified under subparagraph (D) of this

paragraph (as in effect before the date of the enactment of the Health

Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) for that type of

policy, as revised as follows:


            ``(I) In each statement, amend the second line to read as

        follows:


              `THIS IS NOT MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT INSURANCE'.


            ``(II) In each statement, strike the third line and insert

        the following: `Some health care services paid for by Medicare

        may also trigger the payment of benefits under this policy.'.


            ``(III) In each statement not described in subclause (V),

        strike the boldface matter that begins `This insurance' and all

        that follows up to the next paragraph that begins `Medicare'.


            ``(IV) In each statement not described in subclause (V),

        insert before the boxed matter (that states `Before You Buy This

        Insurance') the following: `This policy must pay benefits

        without regard to other health benefit coverage to which you may

        be entitled under Medicare or other insurance.'.


            ``(V) In a statement relating to policies providing both

        nursing home and non-institutional coverage, to policies

        providing nursing home benefits only, or policies providing home

        care benefits only, amend the sentence that begins `Federal law'

        to read as follows: `Federal law requires us to inform you that

        in certain situations this insurance may pay for some care also

        covered by Medicare.'.


    ``(viii)(I) Subject to subclause (II), nothing in this subparagraph

shall restrict or preclude a State's ability to regulate health

insurance policies, including any health insurance policy that is

described in clause (iv), (v), or (vi)(III).


    ``(II) A State may not declare or specify, in statute, regulation,

or otherwise, that a health insurance policy (other than a Medicare

supplemental policy) or rider to an insurance contract which is not a

health insurance policy, that is described in clause (iv), (v), or

(vi)(III) and that is sold, issued, or renewed to an individual entitled

to benefits under part A or enrolled under part B `duplicates' health

benefits under this title or under a Medicare supplemental policy.''.


    (b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 1882(d)(3) (42 U.S.C.

1395ss(d)(3)) is amended--

            (1) in subparagraph (C)--

                    (A) by striking ``with respect to (i)'' and

                inserting ``with respect to'', and

                    (B) by striking ``, (ii) the sale'' and all that

                follows up to the period at the end; and

            (2) by striking subparagraph (D).


    (c) Transitional <<NOTE: 42 USC 1395ss note.>>  Provision.--

            (1) No penalties.--Subject to paragraph (3), no criminal or

        civil money penalty may be imposed under section 1882(d)(3)(A)

        of the Social Security Act for any act or omission that occurred

        during the transition period (as defined in paragraph (4)) and

        that relates to any health insurance policy that is described in

        clause (iv) or (v) of such section (as amended by subsection

        (a)).


            (2) Limitation on legal action.--Subject to paragraph (3),

        no legal action shall be brought or continued in any Federal or

        State court insofar as such action--

                    (A) includes a cause of action which arose, or which

                is based on or evidenced by any act or omission which

                occurred, during the transition period; and


                    (B) relates to the application of section

                1882(d)(3)(A) of the Social Security Act to any act or

                omission with respect to the sale, issuance, or renewal

                of any health insurance policy that is described in

                clause (iv) or (v) of such section (as amended by

                subsection (a)).


            (3) Disclosure condition.--In the case of a policy described

        in clause (iv) of section 1882(d)(3)(A) of the Social Security

        Act that is sold or issued on or after the effective date of

        statements under section 171(d)(3)(C) of the Social Security Act

        Amendments of 1994 and before the end of the 30-day period

        beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, paragraphs

        (1) and (2) shall only apply if disclosure was made in

        accordance with section 1882(d)(3)(C)(ii) of the Social Security

        Act (as in effect before the date of the enactment of this Act).


            (4) Transition period.--In this subsection, the term

        ``transition period'' means the period beginning on November 5,

        1991, and ending on the date of the enactment of this Act.


    (d) Effective <<NOTE: 42 USC 1395ss note.>>  Date.--(1) Except as

provided in this subsection, the amendment made by subsection (a) shall

be effective as if included in the enactment of section 4354 of the

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990.


    (2)(A) Clause (vi) of section 1882(d)(3)(A) of the Social Security

Act, as added by subsection (a), shall only apply to individuals

applying for--

            (i) a health insurance policy described in section

        1882(d)(3)(A)(iv) of such Act (as added by subsection (a)),

        after the date of the enactment of this Act, or


            (ii) another health insurance policy after the end of the

        30-day period beginning on the date of the enactment of this

        Act.


    (B) A seller or issuer of a health insurance policy may substitute,

for the disclosure statement described in clause (vii) of such section,

the statement specified under section 1882(d)(3)(D) of the Social

Security Act (as in effect before the date of the enactment of this

Act), without the revision specified in such clause.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

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