The insurance landscape across our Commonwealth has changed dramatically over time. This year's General Assembly recognized this fact and we took action to provide Kentuckians with more adequate, more affordable, and more secure insurance options.

House Bill 259

The Kentucky Long-Term Care Partnership Program will be created to allow individuals with long-term care insurance to utilize those funds and still qualify for Medicaid services without exhausting all of their other funding sources.

House Bill 551

The electronic payment of claims will be required if the contract between the insurance carrier and pharmacy benefits administrator requires an electronic submission of claims.

All claims would be required to meet the same compliance regulations as paper claims and apply to all contracts on or after January 1, 2009.

Senate Bill 96

Health insurance policies will be required to provide coverage for colorectal cancer screenings beginning January 1, 2009.

House Bill 84

Kentucky law on group life insurance will be aligned more closely to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Group Life Insurance Model Act. Among other things, it will eliminate the requirement that at least 75 percent of eligible group members participate and it increases the allowable coverage for dependents.

House Bill 179

Insurance agents and companies will be directed to notify the Kentucky Department of Insurance when a life insurance policy is paid in full. The insurer must also forward the Department of Insurance the policy holder's full name and last known address.

House Bill 316

Basic health benefit plans will be required to include coverage for mammograms.

House Bill 440

Kentucky parents who are uninsured will be encouraged to seek coverage by offering these parents the option to purchase additional coverage for dependent children who are under the age of 25. All insured Kentuckians will be guaranteed that claims will be paid in an appropriate time frame and will be provided protection from unfair practices that may occur when insurers unilaterally modify provider contracts.

House Bill 552

A Homeownership Protection Center will be established to help counsel those who are potentially facing foreclosure on their homes. It would also be easier and less expensive for Kentuckians to refinance their homes to escape escalating interest rates, while also making the requirements for obtaining a high cost home loan more stringent. Mortgage brokers' fees would be capped and discouraged against “upselling” home buyers to more expensive mortgages.

House Bill 758

Workers' compensation self-insured groups will be regulated through an approved application as a "bona fide" trade association. These groups will be required to provide that security deposit requirements are based on an audited statement rather than certified statement, and specify that limits on investment are based on the most recent quarterly or annual financial statement. All self-insured groups will also be required to provide a statement of financial condition upon request and exempt any group from the requirement to purchase excess insurance coverage if that group has a fund balance of 40 percent or more of earned premiums.