Montana Code Annotated 2023

TITLE 33. INSURANCE AND INSURANCE COMPANIES

CHAPTER 22. DISABILITY INSURANCE

Part 11. Long-Term Care Insurance Act

Definitions

33-22-1107. Definitions. As used in this part, the following definitions apply:

(1) "Activities of daily living" means:

(a) eating;

(b) toileting;

(c) transferring;

(d) bathing;

(e) dressing; and

(f) continence.

(2) "Applicant" means:

(a) in the case of an individual long-term care insurance policy, the person who seeks to contract for benefits; and

(b) in the case of a group long-term care insurance policy, the proposed certificate holder.

(3) "Appropriate sale criteria" means the set of conditions that an insurance company is required to address with an applicant that help to determine whether or not a particular insurance policy or contract offered for sale is appropriate to the applicant. These conditions must include but are not limited to any insurance premium involved in the policy, the income of the applicant, and the savings and investments of the applicant.

(4) "Certificate" means a certificate issued under a group long-term care insurance policy that has been delivered or issued for delivery in this state.

(5) "Group long-term care insurance" means a long-term care insurance policy that is delivered or issued for delivery in this state and issued to:

(a) (i) one or more employers;

(ii) a labor organization;

(iii) a trust established by an employer or labor organization; or

(iv) a trustee of a fund established by one or more employers or labor organizations or a combination of employers and labor organizations for:

(A) employees or former employees or a combination of employees and former employees; or

(B) members or former members of the labor organization or a combination of members and former members;

(b) any professional, trade, or occupational association for its current, former, or retired members or a combination of current, former, and retired members if the association:

(i) is composed of individuals all of whom are or were actively engaged in the same profession, trade, or occupation; and

(ii) has been maintained in good faith for purposes other than obtaining insurance; or

(c) an association, a trust, or the trustee of a fund established, created, or maintained for the benefit of members of one or more associations.

(i) Prior to advertising, marketing, or offering the policy within this state, the association or the insurer of the association shall file evidence with the commissioner that the association has:

(A) a minimum of 100 persons at the outset;

(B) been organized and maintained in good faith for purposes other than obtaining insurance;

(C) been in active existence for at least 1 year; and

(D) a constitution and bylaws requiring that the association hold regular meetings at least annually to further purposes of the membership; except for credit unions, the association collects dues or solicits contributions from members; and the members have voting privileges and representation on the governing board and committees.

(ii) Thirty days after filing, the association must be considered to have satisfied the organizational requirements unless the commissioner finds that the association does not satisfy the organizational requirements.

(d) a group other than as described in subsections (5)(a) through (5)(c) if the commissioner determines that the:

(i) issuance of the group policy is not contrary to the best interests of the public;

(ii) issuance of the group policy would result in economies of acquisition or administration; and

(iii) benefits are reasonable in relation to the premiums charged.

(6) (a) "Long-term care insurance":

(i) means any insurance policy that is advertised, marketed, offered, or designed to provide coverage for not less than 12 consecutive months for each covered person, on an expense-incurred, indemnity, prepaid, or other basis, for one or more necessary or medically necessary diagnostic, preventive, therapeutic, rehabilitative, or maintenance or personal-care services provided in a setting other than an acute care unit of a hospital;

(ii) may be issued by an insurer, fraternal benefit society, nonprofit health service corporation, prepaid health plan, health maintenance organization, or similar organization to the extent that the organization is otherwise authorized to issue life or health insurance;

(iii) includes group and individual annuities and life insurance policies that provide directly or that supplement long-term care insurance;

(iv) includes any product advertised, marketed, or offered as long-term care insurance regardless of any exceptions to the definition included in this section;

(v) includes a policy that provides for payment of benefits based upon cognitive impairment or the loss of functional capacity; and

(vi) includes qualified long-term care insurance contracts.

(b) Long-term care insurance does not include:

(i) any insurance policy that is offered primarily to provide basic medicare supplement coverage, basic hospital expense coverage, basic medical-surgical expense coverage, hospital confinement indemnity coverage, major medical expense coverage, disability income or related asset protection coverage, accident-only coverage, specified disease or specified accident coverage, or limited benefit health coverage; or

(ii) life insurance policies that accelerate the death benefit specifically for one or more of the qualifying events of terminal illness, medical conditions requiring extraordinary medical intervention, or permanent institutional confinement and that provide the option of a lump-sum payment for those benefits and in which neither the benefits nor the eligibility for the benefits is conditioned upon the receipt of long-term care.

(c) An insurance policy that is offered primarily to provide basic medicare supplement coverage, basic hospital expense coverage, basic medical-surgical expense coverage, hospital confinement indemnity coverage, major medical expense coverage, disability income protection coverage, accident-only coverage, specified disease or specified accident coverage, or limited benefit health coverage and that also contains long-term care insurance benefits of a duration of at least 6 months is not required to meet the requirements of this part unless the premium allocable to the long-term care insurance benefits contained in the policy is greater than 25% of the total policy premium.

(7) "Policy" means any policy, certificate, contract, membership contract, subscriber agreement, health care services agreement, rider, or endorsement delivered or issued for delivery in this state by an insurer, fraternal benefit society, health service corporation, prepaid health plan, health maintenance organization, or similar organization.

(8) "Preexisting condition" means a condition for which medical advice or treatment was recommended by or received from a provider of health care services within 6 months preceding the effective date of coverage of an insured person.

(9) "Qualified long-term care insurance contract" or "federally tax-qualified long-term care insurance contract" means:

(a) an individual or group insurance contract that meets the requirement of section 7702B of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. 7702B, if:

(i) the only insurance protection provided under the contract is coverage of qualified long-term care services, as defined in 33-22-1126. A contract may also satisfy the requirements of this subsection (9)(a) if payments are made on a per diem or other periodic basis without regard to the expenses incurred during the period to which the payments relate.

(ii) the contract does not pay or reimburse expenses incurred for services or items to the extent that the expenses are reimbursable under 42 U.S.C. 1395 or would be reimbursable but for the application of a deductible or coinsurance amount. The requirements of this subsection (9)(a) do not apply to expenses that are reimbursable under 42 U.S.C. 1395 only as a secondary payor. A contract may also satisfy the requirements of this subsection (9)(a) if payments are made on a per diem or other periodic basis without regard to the expenses incurred during the period to which the payments relate.

(iii) the contract is guaranteed renewable within the meaning of section 7702B(b)(1)(C) of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. 7702B(b)(1)(C);

(iv) the contract does not provide for a cash surrender value or other money that can be paid, assigned, pledged as collateral for a loan, or borrowed. All refunds of premiums and all policyholder dividends or similar amounts under the contract are to be applied as a reduction in future premiums or to increase future benefits. However, a refund of the aggregate premium paid under the contract may be allowed in the event of death of the insured or a complete surrender or cancellation of the contract.

(v) the contract contains the consumer protection provisions set forth in section 7702B(g) of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. 7702B(g); or

(b) a life insurance contract that provides long-term care coverage by rider or as a part of the contract as long as the contract complies with section 7702B(b) and (e) of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. 7702B(b) and (e).

(10) "Transferring" means moving into or out of a bed, chair, or wheelchair.

History: En. Sec. 3, Ch. 355, L. 1989; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 152, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 240, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 10, Ch. 416, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 32, L. 2007.