Senate Bill No. 381

Introduced By _______________________________________________________________________________



A Bill for an Act entitled: "An Act excluding the applicability of mandated insurance benefit provisions and freedom of choice of practitioner provisions from group and individual uniform health benefit plans; amending sections 33-22-245 and 33-22-522, MCA; and providing an immediate effective date."



Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Montana:



Section 1.  Section 33-22-245, MCA, is amended to read:

"33-22-245.   Uniform health benefit plan -- individual. (1) Each insurer or health service corporation delivering or issuing for delivery in this state a health benefit plan, as defined in 33-22-243, to an individual shall make available a uniform health benefit plan providing the benefits and services required in subsection (2).

(2)  The uniform health benefit plan must:

(a)  provide coverage for the services and articles required by 33-22-1521(2);

(b)  pay 50% of the covered expenses in excess of an annual deductible that may not exceed $1,000 per person or $2,000 per family;

(c)  include a limitation of $5,000 per person or $7,500 per family on the total annual out-of-pocket expenses for services covered; and

(d)  be subject to a maximum lifetime benefit of $1 million.

(3) Except as provided in this section, a health insurance issuer may exclude any category of licensed health care practitioner and any benefit or coverage for health care services otherwise required by law or rule from an individual uniform health benefit plan delivered or issued for delivery in this state."



Section 2.  Section 33-22-522, MCA, is amended to read:

"33-22-522.   Uniform health benefit plan -- group. (1) Each insurer or health service corporation delivering or issuing for delivery in this state a health benefit plan, as defined in 33-22-243, to a group shall make available a uniform health benefit plan providing the benefits and services required in subsection (2).

(2)  The uniform health benefit plan must:

(a)  provide coverage for the services and articles required by 33-22-1521(2);

(b)  pay 50% of the covered expenses in excess of an annual deductible that may not exceed $1,000 per person or $2,000 per family;

(c)  include a limitation of $5,000 per person or $7,500 per family on the total annual out-of-pocket expenses for services covered; and

(d)  be subject to a maximum lifetime benefit of $1 million.

(3) Except as provided in this section, a health insurance issuer may exclude any category of licensed health care practitioner and any benefit or coverage for health care services otherwise required by law or rule from an individual uniform health benefit plan delivered or issued for delivery in this state."



NEW SECTION. Section 3.  Effective date. [This act] is effective on passage and approval.

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