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Senate Bill 1403 |
Senate Author: Averitt |
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Effective: 9-1-09 |
House Sponsor: Smithee |
Senate Bill 1403 amends the Insurance Code to redesignate the Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool as the Texas Health Insurance Pool. The bill prohibits a dependent or individual who is not a federally defined eligible individual and who has not had a significant break in health benefit plan coverage from obtaining pool coverage before the first date on which the dependent or individual has been a legally domiciled resident of Texas for at least 30 days before applying for the coverage, and a U.S. citizen or permanent resident for at least three continuous years. The bill establishes that provisions making an individual ineligible for pool coverage because the individual is eligible for an employer-sponsored health benefit plan, even though that coverage is denied, are inapplicable to a part-time employee's dependent who is eligible to participate in an employer plan that provides certain coverages. The bill establishes that an individual eligible for benefits from a federal or state employee coverage continuation program comparable to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) who did not elect continuation of that coverage during the election period is eligible for pool coverage, and changes the date before which pool coverage for an eligible individual is excluded from certain incurred charges or expenses from 180 days after the effective date of coverage to the first anniversary of that date. The bill requires the pool to make a specified reduction to that exclusion period if an individual eligible under COBRA or a comparable program was covered by creditable coverage at any time during the 12-month period immediately before the effective date of the individual's pool coverage.