Home » 2011 Issues » December 28, 2011 » DFS-52-11-00002-E Limitation of New Enrollment to the Healthy NY High Deductible Plan Pursuant to Section 4326(g) of the Insurance Law
DFS-52-11-00002-E Limitation of New Enrollment to the Healthy NY High Deductible Plan Pursuant to Section 4326(g) of the Insurance Law
12/28/11 N.Y. St. Reg. DFS-52-11-00002-E
NEW YORK STATE REGISTER
VOLUME XXXIII, ISSUE 52
December 28, 2011
RULE MAKING ACTIVITIES
DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES
EMERGENCY RULE MAKING
I.D No. DFS-52-11-00002-E
Filing No. 1332
Filing Date. Dec. 07, 2011
Effective Date. Dec. 07, 2011
Limitation of New Enrollment to the Healthy NY High Deductible Plan Pursuant to Section 4326(g) of the Insurance Law
PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE State Administrative Procedure Act, NOTICE is hereby given of the following action:
Action taken:
Addition of section 362-2.9 (Regulation 171) to Title 11 NYCRR.
Statutory authority:
Financial Services Law, sections 202, 301, and 302; and Insurance Law, sections 301, 1109, 3201, 3216, 3217, 3221, 4235, 4303, 4304, 4305, 4326 and 4327
Finding of necessity for emergency rule:
Preservation of public health and general welfare.
Specific reasons underlying the finding of necessity:
Chapter 1 of the Laws of 1999 enacted the Healthy New York ("Healthy NY") program, an initiative designed to enable small employers to provide health insurance to employees and their families and to provide working uninsured individuals with an affordable health insurance coverage option. The program offers standard benefit packages and high deductible health plan options to eligible individuals and employers. Healthy NY currently provides essential health coverage to over 170,000 New Yorkers.
Due to State fiscal constraints, the New York State budget has set Healthy NY funding appropriations at approximately $160 million for the past three consecutive fiscal years. During this timeframe, Healthy NY enrollment and claims have increased. As a result, there has been a need to pro-rate stop loss distributions to health plans for the last two years.
Health maintenance organizations and participating insurers ("health plans") are currently setting Healthy NY premiums for 2012. In developing proposed premium rates for 2012, most health plans have assumed that future funding for Healthy NY will again be held flat. This has caused health plans to apply for significant rate increases, to the detriment of Healthy NY's low income enrollees and applicants.
In response to the anticipated rate increases, the Department of Financial Services proposes to promulgate this amendment to 11 NYCRR Part 362. Through this amendment, existing Healthy NY enrollees will be permitted to keep their current coverage option. New applicants, for coverage effective January 1, 2012 or later, will be limited to Healthy NY's high deductible health plans only. This change will allow the Department to better leverage the program's limited financial resources because Healthy NY high deductible health plans are not as popular with consumers as the standard Healthy NY products. Therefore, we expect new enrollment in the program to decrease. This decrease, combined with normal program attrition, will lead to an overall reduction in the size of the Program. State stop loss funds will go further in providing premium support to this smaller population.
The Department recognizes that this change will pose a hardship for some applicants seeking broader choice in benefit options. However, the Department believes this approach strikes a balance in protecting existing enrollees from unaffordable rate increases, while maintaining an affordable option for those purchasing coverage.
This emergency filing is necessary at this time in order to ensure that the health plans have adequate time to prepare for this change to the program. The plans will need to educate their customer service personnel regarding the new enrollment restrictions, make revisions to websites and consumer materials, and notify brokers about the enrollment restrictions. If the health plans are fully prepared to implement this change, eligible applicants who wish to enroll in the Healthy NY high deductible option effective January 1, 2012 and thereafter will able to do so without any impediments.
In light of the foregoing, it is critical that this amendment be adopted as promptly as possible, and this rule must be promulgated on an emergency basis for the furtherance of the public health and general welfare.
Subject:
Limitation of new enrollment to the Healthy NY high deductible plan pursuant to Section 4326(g) of the Insurance Law.
Purpose:
To mitigate large premium increases for current enrollees in Healthy NY by limiting new enrollees to the high deductible plan.
Text of emergency rule:
A new section 362-2.9 is added to read as follows:
§ 362-2.9 Healthy New York Enrollment Limitation
(a) With respect to coverage effective on or after January 1, 2012, a health maintenance organization or a participating insurer may enroll new applicants in the Healthy New York Program only in the high deductible health plans set forth in section 362-2.8 of this Part.
(b) With respect to existing enrollees who are in non-high deductible health plans with coverage effective prior to January 1, 2012, a health maintenance organization or a participating insurer shall:
(1) permit qualifying individuals to add dependents to or remove dependents from their qualifying health insurance contracts; and
(2) permit qualifying small employers to add employees and dependents to or remove employees and dependents from their qualifying health insurance contracts.
(c) A health maintenance organization or participating insurer shall permit qualifying individuals and qualifying employers enrolled in non-high deductible plans to change their benefit packages to other non-high deductible plans with the same health maintenance organization or participating insurer at the time of annual recertification or a change in the premium rate.
This notice is intended
to serve only as a notice of emergency adoption. This agency intends to adopt this emergency rule as a permanent rule and will publish a notice of proposed rule making in the State Register at some future date. The emergency rule will expire March 5, 2012.
Text of rule and any required statements and analyses may be obtained from:
Patricia Patwell, Department of Financial Services, One Commerce Plaza, Albany, NY 12257, (518) 486-7815, email: Patricia.
Regulatory Impact Statement
1. Statutory authority: The Superintendent's authority for the adoption of the fourth amendment to 11 NYCRR 362 is derived from sections 202, 301, and 302 of the Financial Services Law ("FSL") and sections 301, 1109, 3201, 3216, 3217, 3221, 4235, 4303, 4304, 4305, 4326, and 4327 of the Insurance Law.
Section 202 of the Financial Services Law establishes the office of the Superintendent and designates the Superintendent to be the head of the Department of Financial Services.
FSL section 301 establishes the powers of the Superintendent generally. FSL section 302 and section 301 of the Insurance Law, in material part, authorize the Superintendent to effectuate any power accorded to the Superintendent by the Insurance Law, the Banking Law, the Financial Services Law, or any other law of this state and to prescribe regulations interpreting the Insurance Law.
Section 1109 of the Insurance Law authorizes the Superintendent to promulgate regulations in effectuating the purposes and provisions of the Insurance Law and Article 44 of the Public Health Law with respect to the contracts between a health maintenance organization (HMO) and its subscribers.
Section 3201 of the Insurance Law authorizes the Superintendent to approve accident and health insurance policy forms for delivery or issuance for delivery in this state.
Section 3216 of the Insurance Law sets forth the standard provisions to be included in individual accident and health insurance policies written by commercial insurers.
Section 3217 of the Insurance Law authorizes the Superintendent to issue regulations to establish minimum standards, including standards of full and fair disclosure, for the form, content and sale of accident and health insurance policies.
Section 3221 of the Insurance Law sets forth the standard provisions to be included in group or blanket accident and health insurance policies written by commercial insurers.
Section 4235 of the Insurance Law defines group accident and health insurance and the types of groups to which such insurance may be issued.
Section 4303 of the Insurance Law governs the accident and health insurance contracts written by non-for-profit corporations and sets forth the benefits that must be covered under such contracts.
Section 4304 of the Insurance Law includes requirements for individual health insurance contracts written by not-for-profit corporations and HMOs.
Section 4305 includes requirements for group health insurance contracts written by not-for profit corporations and HMOs.
Section 4326 of the Insurance Law authorizes the creation of a program to provide standardized health insurance to qualifying small employers and qualifying working uninsured individuals. Section 4326(g) authorizes the Superintendent to modify the copayment and deductible amounts for qualifying health insurance contracts. Section 4326(g) also authorizes the Superintendent to establish additional standardized health insurance benefit packages to meet the needs of the public after January 1, 2002.
Section 4327 of the Insurance Law authorizes the establishment of stop loss funds for standardized health insurance contracts issued to qualifying small employers and qualifying individuals. Section 4327(k) authorizes the suspension of enrollment in the program if it is anticipated that annual expenditures from the stop loss fund will exceed the total funds available for distribution from the fund.
2. Legislative objectives: Chapter 1 of the Laws of 1999 enacted the Healthy New York (Healthy NY) program, an initiative designed to enable small employers to provide health insurance to employees and their families and to provide working uninsured individuals with an affordable health insurance coverage option.
3. Needs and benefits: Healthy NY provides essential health coverage to over 170,000 New Yorkers. Due to State fiscal constraints, the New York State budget set Healthy NY funding appropriations at approximately $160 million for the past three consecutive fiscal years. During this timeframe, Healthy NY enrollment and claims increased. As a result, there has been a need to pro-rate state payments to health plans for the last two years. This has caused health plans to apply for significant rate increases, to the detriment of Healthy NY's low income enrollees and applicants.
In response, the Department of Financial Services intends to better utilize Healthy NY's limited financial resources. Expedited promulgation of this regulation is the first and most necessary step to better utilizing program resources. This rule will permit existing Healthy NY enrollees to keep their current coverage option. New applicants, for coverage effective January 1, 2012 or later, will be limited to Healthy NY's high deductible health plans only. The Department believes this approach strikes a balance in protecting existing enrollees from unaffordable rate increases, while maintaining an affordable option for those purchasing coverage.
Healthy NY high deductible health plans are not as popular with consumers as the standard Healthy NY products. Therefore, we expect new enrollment in the program to decrease. This decrease, combined with normal program attrition, will lead to an overall reduction in the size of the program. State stop loss funds will go further in providing premium support to this smaller population. As noted above, expedited promulgation of this regulation is necessary to begin the limitation of program enrollment that will ultimately lead to more effective usage of the stop loss funds.
4. Costs: This rule imposes no compliance costs upon state or local governments. The overall costs of the program are capped at the appropriated funding amounts. Through this rule the Department of Financial Services expects to be able to maintain the viability of the program within the appropriated funding amounts.
5. Local government mandates: This rule imposes no new mandates on any county, city, town, village, school district, fire district or other special district.
6. Paperwork: Healthy NY requires HMOs and participating insurers to report enrollment changes on a monthly basis and also requires an annual request for reimbursement of eligible claims. Twice a year, enrollment reports that discern enrollment on a county-by-county basis are submitted to the Department. This rule will not impose any new reporting requirements.
7. Duplication: There are no known federal or other states' requirements that duplicate, overlap, or conflict with this regulation.
8. Alternatives: The Department of Financial Services examined multiple alternatives ranging from full program suspension to adjustments to benefits and cost-sharing amounts. It was determined that a full program suspension would have eliminated an affordable health insurance alternative for the working uninsured, and adjustments to benefits and cost-sharing would have had an insufficient impact on savings. Thus, it was decided that this rule would have the most positive outcome in that it will strike a balance in protecting existing enrollees from unaffordable rate increases, while maintaining an affordable option for those who seek to purchase coverage.
9. Federal standards: The Healthy NY high deductible health plans meet all federal standards to ensure that program enrollees achieve any available federal tax benefits.
10. Compliance schedule: HMOs and participating insurers are required to comply immediately.
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
1. Effect of rule: This rule will affect small businesses that are seeking to enter the Healthy New York (Healthy NY) program because it will limit the number of Healthy NY coverage options that they can offer to their employees. However, the Department of Financial Services feels that qualifying small businesses that choose to offer the high deductible health plan option to their employees will be able to attract and keep talented workers. This rule will have the greatest impact upon health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and licensed insurers in New York State, none of which fall within the definition of small business as found in section 102(8) of the State Administrative Procedure Act. This rule will not affect local governments.
2. Compliance requirements: There are no compliance requirements for small businesses or local governments. As noted above, this rule will have the greatest impact upon HMOs and licensed insurers in New York State, none of which fall within the definition of small business as found in section 102(8) of the State Administrative Procedure Act.
3. Professional services: No professional services will be necessitated as a result of this rule.
4. Compliance costs: This rule should reduce insurance costs for qualifying small businesses that choose to offer the high deductible health plan to their employees. This rule imposes no compliance costs to local governments.
5. Economic and technological feasibility: The Healthy NY program is designed to make health insurance premiums more affordable for small businesses. Compliance with this rule should be economically and technologically feasible as it requires no action on their part.
6. Minimizing adverse impact: This rule minimizes the impact on small businesses by providing an affordable health insurance option that the businesses can choose to offer to their employees.
7. Small business and local government participation: This notice is intended to provide small businesses, local governments and public and private entities in rural and non-rural areas with an additional opportunity to participate in the rule-making process.
Rural Area Flexibility Analysis
1. Types and estimated numbers of rural areas: Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and participating insurers to which this regulation is applicable do business in every county of the State, including rural areas as defined under section 102(10) of the State Administrative Procedure Act. Small employers and individuals in need of health insurance coverage are located in every county of the State, including rural areas as defined under section 102(10) of the State Administrative Procedure Act.
2. Reporting, recordkeeping and other compliance requirements; and professional services: Healthy New York requires HMOs and participating insurers to report enrollment changes on a monthly basis and also requires an annual request for reimbursement of eligible claims. Twice a year, enrollment reports that discern enrollment on a county by county basis are submitted to the Department of Financial Services. This rule will not add any new reporting requirements, though it will require separate identification of enrollment in the high deductible health plan option. Nothing in this rule distinguishes between rural and non-rural areas. No special type of professional services will be needed in a rural area to comply with this requirement.
3. Costs: HMOs and participating insurers may incur some minor costs as they educate their customer service staff on the changes being made to the program. There are no costs to local governments. This rule has no impact unique to rural areas.
4. Minimizing adverse impact: Because the same requirements apply to both rural and non-rural entities, the rule will have the same impact on all affected entities.
5. Rural area participation: None.
Job Impact Statement
While this rule may reduce the number of health coverage options available to employees; it will not adversely affect jobs or employment opportunities. A health maintenance organization or a participating insurer shall continue to permit existing Healthy New York (Healthy NY) enrollees to keep their current coverage option. New applicants, for coverage effective January 1, 2012 or later, will be limited to Healthy NY's high deductible health plans only. The Department believes that this approach strikes a balance in protecting existing enrollees from unaffordable rate increases, while maintaining an affordable option for those purchasing new coverage. It is the Department's position that this rule will permit employers enrolled in the program to maintain health insurance coverage for their employees. The ability to offer affordable coverage will allow employers to attract and retain qualified workers. Through this rule the Department of Financial Services intends to better leverage Healthy NY's limited financial resources.
