SB 183-FN – AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
03/22/07 0612s
03/22/07 0959s
2007 SESSION
01/09
SENATE BILL 183-FN
AN ACT requiring health insurance plans for family coverage to extend to dependent under age 26.
SPONSORS: Sen. Sgambati, Dist 4; Sen. Gottesman, Dist 12; Sen. Hassan, Dist 23; Sen. Fuller Clark, Dist 24; Sen. Burling, Dist 5; Sen. Reynolds, Dist 2; Sen. DeVries, Dist 18; Rep. MacKay, Merr 11; Rep. Almy, Graf 11; Rep. M. Smith, Straf 7
COMMITTEE: Commerce, Labor and Consumer Protection
This bill requires health insurance plans to cover dependent children under the age of 26 under certain circumstances.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
03/22/07 0612s
03/22/07 0959s
07-1134
01/09
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Seven
AN ACT requiring health insurance plans for family coverage to extend to dependent under age 26.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Insurance; Individual; Dependent Children. Amend RSA 415:5, I(3) to read as follows:
(3) It purports to insure only one person, except that a policy may insure, originally or by subsequent amendment, upon the application of an adult member of a family who shall be deemed the policyholder, any 2 or more eligible members of that family, including husband, wife, dependent children or any [children under a specified age which shall not exceed 18 years and any other person dependent upon the policyholder] dependent under age 26. In this subparagraph “dependent” means a subscriber’s child by blood or by law, who:
(a) Is less than 26 years of age.
(b) Is unmarried.
(c) Has no dependent of his or her own.
(d) Is a resident of New Hampshire or is enrolled as a full-time student at a public or private institution of higher education.
(e) Is not provided coverage as a name subscriber, insured, enrollee, or covered person under any other group or individual health benefits plan, group health plan, church plan or health benefits plan, or entitled to benefits under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, Public Law 89-97, 42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq. The provision regarding dependent children shall also apply to group hospital health service plan contracts issued pursuant to RSA 420-A, and to health maintenance organization policies and plans pursuant to RSA 420-B; and
2 Insurance; Group; Dependent Children. Amend RSA 415:18, IV to read as follows:
IV.(a) Any such group or blanket policy may include benefits payable on account of hospital or medical or surgical aid for an employee or other member of the group insured by such policy, his or her spouse, dependent child or [children or other dependents] any dependent under age 26, and may provide that any such benefits be paid by the insurer directly to the hospital, physician, surgeon, doctor, nurse or other person furnishing services covered by such provision of said policy. In this paragraph “dependent” means a subscriber’s child by blood or by law, who:
(1) Is less than 26 years of age.
(2) Is unmarried.
(3) Has no dependent of his or her own.
(4) Is a resident of New Hampshire or is enrolled as a full-time student at a public or private institution of higher education.
(5) Is not provided coverage as a name subscriber, insured, enrollee, or covered person under any other group or individual health benefits plan, group health plan, church plan or health benefits plan, or entitled to benefits under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, Public Law 89-97, 42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.
(b) This paragraph shall also apply to group hospital health service plan contracts issued pursuant to RSA 420-A, and to health maintenance organization policies and plans pursuant to RSA 420-B.
3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
LBAO
07-1134
Amended 03/30/07
SB 183 FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT requiring health insurance plans for family coverage to extend to dependent under age 26.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Insurance Department states this bill, as amended by the Senate (Amendment #2007-0959s), may increase state revenue, and county and local expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2007 and each year thereafter. This bill will have no fiscal impact on state expenditures, or county and local revenue.
METHODOLOGY:
The Insurance Department states this bill would require health insurance plans to cover dependent children through age 25 whether or not they are students. This bill would affect both individual insurance policies and group insurance policies. The cost of providing dependent coverage might increase slightly, as the average age of the dependent is slightly greater. For group coverage, the group premium may also increase as there would now be more dependents eligible for coverage. The State collects premium taxes on premium revenues, and it is not immediately clear what impact this will have on the premium tax base as some, if not most, of these newly defined dependent children might have had some other type of coverage in the market. The Department expects the impact on premium tax revenue to be negligible. The State of New Hampshire is self-funded, and would have no obligation to comply with the provisions of this bill.