§ 15-509. Participatory wellness programs as part of individual or group health benefit plans
West's Annotated Code of MarylandInsuranceEffective: July 1, 2014
Effective: July 1, 2014
MD Code, Insurance, § 15-509
§ 15-509. Participatory wellness programs as part of individual or group health benefit plans
(2) “Activity-only wellness program” means a type of health-contingent wellness program in which an individual is required to perform or complete an activity related to a health factor in order to obtain a reward, but which does not require the individual to attain or maintain a specific health outcome.
(b) This section applies to grandfathered and nongrandfathered individual and group health benefit plans.
(c)(1) A carrier may include a participatory wellness program as part of an individual or group health benefit plan.
(d) A carrier may condition a reward for an activity-only wellness program in a group health benefit plan if:
(ii) when the plan provides coverage for family members, and when family members are permitted to participate in the activity-only wellness program, 30% of the cost of the coverage in which the family members are enrolled, except that the applicable percentage is increased by an additional 20 percentage points to the extent that the additional percentage is in connection with a program designed to prevent or reduce tobacco use;
(e) An activity-only wellness program shall be construed to be reasonably designed to promote health or prevent disease if the activity-only wellness program:
(f)(1) For an activity-only wellness program, a carrier shall provide a reasonable alternative standard for obtaining the reward for any individual who requests an alternative standard and for whom it is:
(2) A carrier may seek verification, such as a statement from an individual's health care provider, that a health factor makes it unreasonably difficult or medically inadvisable for the individual to satisfy or attempt to satisfy the otherwise applicable standard, if reasonable under the circumstances.
(g)(1) A carrier may condition the reward for an outcome-based wellness program in a group health benefit plan if:
(h) A reward under an outcome-based wellness program is not available to all similarly situated individuals as required by subsection (g)(1)(ii) of this section unless the outcome-based wellness program allows a reasonable alternative standard, or waiver of the otherwise applicable standard, for obtaining the reward for any individual who does not meet the initial standard based on the measurement, test, or screening required by the outcome-based wellness program.
(i)(1) In determining if a carrier's health-contingent wellness program meets the requirements of this section, the Commissioner may request a review of the health-contingent wellness program by an independent review organization selected from the list compiled under § 15-10A-05(b) of this title.
Credits
Added by Acts 2014, c. 23, § 1, eff. July 1, 2014.
MD Code, Insurance, § 15-509, MD INSURANCE § 15-509
Current through legislation effective through April 9, 2023, from the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly. Some statute sections may be more current, see credits for details.
End of Document |