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thursday, april 16, 2009

 House Passes Legislation Creating Insurance Discount for Low-Income Texans
On April 8, the House passed CSHB 2064 (Smithee/Hardcastle/Eiland/Bohac/Alonzo), relating to
premium discounts for certain participants in the Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool and to related tax credits for health benefit plan issuers. The bill was received in the Senate on the same day.
The Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool provides an insurance option for Texans with chronic health conditions who do not have employer-sponsored coverage. In many cases the risk pool is the only option these individuals have for health insurance.

CSHB 2064 amends the Insurance Code to require that discounted premiums be offered on a sliding scale to certain participants in the Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool based on financial need. The bill
requires premium rates to equal the pool’s standard risk rate for an individual whose household income is below 200 percent of the federal poverty measure, as determined under the United States
Department of Health and Human Services poverty guidelines in effect at the time coverage is provided, and requires premium rates to equal 140 percent of the pool’s standard risk rate for an
individual whose household income is at or below 30 percent, but not less than 200 percent, of the federal poverty measure.

The bill prohibits the aggregate premium discount, determined by subtracting the dollar amount of premiums collected from the dollar amount that would have been collected if a discount was not
available under these provisions, from exceeding $20 million in any two-year period, beginning with the two-year period that begins January 1, 2010, and ends December 31, 2011.

CSHB 2064 entitles a health benefit plan issuer to a credit against its premium tax for premium discounts and provides that each issuer’s share of the premium discounts is based on the statutory method of determining the amount of an issuer’s assessment required to cover net losses as calculated by the pool.

The bill makes the tax credit applicable to the premium tax due in the calendar year following the calendar year in which the assessment is paid and authorizes:
1. an unused credit to be carried over to apply to the premium tax due in the five consecutive calendar years that follow the calendar year in which the credit may first be applied;
2. the balance of a tax credit not claimed in a particular calendar year to be reflected in the books and records of the issuer as an admitted asset; and
3. available credit against premium tax allowed under these provisions to be transferred or assigned among health benefit plan issuers if a merger, acquisition or total assumption of reinsurance occurs among the issuers or if the commissioner of insurance by order approves the transfer or assignment.

The committee substitute differs from the original HB 2064 by changing the time period for which the
cap on the aggregate premium discount applies from the two-year period beginning January 1, 2010, and ending December 31, 2011, to any two-year period, beginning with the two-year period that begins January 1, 2010, and ends December 31, 2011.
thu, april 16, 2009 | link 
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