Health Insurance Regs Home Care Path

The Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner will have increased responsibilites placed on them by President Barack Obama's health care legislation. The Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner will have clear legal authority granted through State legislators. The Office of The Insurance Commissioner will be required to systematically review insurance rates and demonstrate the capacity to enforce mandates.

Under the new federal mandates Wisconsin insurer's must offer insurance coverage to children under 19 and must allow adult children up to 26 to stay on the parent's policies. Wisconsin insurer's cannot charge co-payments for preventative services or impose a lifetime limit on benefits. Wisconsin insurer's are required to have a transparent process in place that allows the insured to appeal a denial of benefits. Insurer's cannot rescind coverage without strong evidence of fraud or intentional misrepresentation.

The Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner will have primary authority to insure mandates are being properly employed by State health insurance plan providers. Insurance plans will be challenged to collect and provide for review the documentation that demonstrates adherence to the new mandates. The State of Wisconsin's authority is granted by the United States federal government. Inability of the State of Wisconsin to properly fulfill its role in monitoring and enforcing the new mandates will result in a federal government take over of this process.

Historically, the office of the Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner will ask legislator's to put the federal mandates in to State law. This would expand legal authority and improve enforcement and over all follow through. Established procedures to review rates utilize increases as lead indicators to prioritize the process. The focus is on reviewing the rate increases.

The new mandates mean improved consumer protection specifically in the health insurance industry. The health mandates are consistently applied to health insurance plans. Beneficiaries can learn to expect to receive the benefit from these very important health insurance mandates.