New WA Rule Suspends Individual STM Sales Starting 11/16/18
The Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner released a bulletin on Oct. 30th announcing a new rule(link is external) around Short Term Limited Duration (STLD) medical plans. LifeMap’s Short Term Medical (STM) plan is subject to this rule, which goes into effect Nov. 16, 2018 and targets policies beginning Jan. 1, 2019 and later.
Due to these restrictions, until further notice, LifeMap must suspend sales of our Individual STM plans in the state of Washington until we can bring the product into compliance with the updated regulations.
This means that LifeMap cannot process STM applications after Nov. 15th for coverage in the state of Washington through our online system. Applications received with postmarks after Nov. 15th will be returned.
It is LifeMap’s mission to provide financial protection to customers through all of life’s transitions. We truly believe our STM policy provides temporary piece of mind at an affordable rate until a member’s ACA coverage begins, can find a new job, or qualify for more permanent and comprehensive coverage.
Our teams are working diligently and as quickly as possible to ensure this important safety net will be once again available to members in Washington. We will update our agents as soon as we release a new solution.
Highlights on the New Washington STLD Plans Rule
- Pre-existing condition look-back period reduces from 5 years to 2 years
- Beginning in 2019, carriers are unable to sell STM plans with January effective dates during the ACA annual enrollment period (11/1 to 12/15)
- One policy is allowed in a rolling 12-month period
- New disclosure required with all applications
Additional details on the Rule can be found on the WA OIC website(link is external).
MAJOR MEDICAL PLANS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE DURING OPEN ENROLLMENT
Temporary Medical Insurance can be purchased anytime
Beginning in 2014 Major Medical plans are only available if you have a life event. If you do not have a life event, medical insurance plans will be made available for you during the next Open Enrollment period in the fourth quarter for coverage beginning next year.
If you had a major life change within the past 60 days or expect one in the next 60 days, you may be eligible for a special enrollment. Major life changes may include job loss, marriage, birth, death, divorce or others.
If you do not have a life event then you may want to consider purchasing Temporary Medical Insurance. Coverage can be purchased once from 30 to 90 days and it cannot be renewed.
Preexisting conditions are not covered.
You can apply for a new policy with up to 90 more days of coverage if more days of coverage is needed. There is no continuous coverage between policies. Coverage can start as soon as tomorrow.
You can review and/or enroll in the plans from LifeMap using the following links: