§300gg–113 — Title 42 The Public Health and Welfare | U.S. Code

Summary

Require group health plans and insurers to let people who are already in the middle of care keep getting that care when a provider’s contract or participation ends. If a provider’s contract is ended, if the provider stops taking part because the plan changed participation rules, or if a plan’s contract with an insurer ends and a person loses access to a provider, the plan or insurer must tell affected patients quickly. They must give those patients a chance to ask for transitional care. If the patient asks, the plan must keep covering the same items and services for that course of treatment under the same rules. Coverage continues from the date the notice is given until the earlier of 90 days or the date the person is no longer a continuing care patient. Continuing care patient: someone getting treatment now for a serious and complex condition; getting inpatient or institutional care; scheduled for nonelective surgery (including follow-up care); pregnant and getting pregnancy care; or terminally ill and getting treatment. Serious and complex condition: an acute illness that needs special treatment to avoid death or permanent harm, or a chronic condition that is life‑threatening, degenerative, potentially disabling, or congenital and needs special care over a long time. Terminated: includes contracts that expire or are not renewed, but not endings for poor quality or fraud.

Title 42, §300gg–113

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)In the case of an individual with benefits under a group health plan or group or individual health insurance coverage offered by a health insurance issuer and with respect to a health care provider or facility that has a contractual relationship with such plan or such issuer (as applicable) for furnishing items and services under such plan or such coverage, if, while such individual is a continuing care patient (as defined in subsection (b)) with respect to such provider or facility—

(A)such contractual relationship is terminated (as defined in subsection (b));

(B)benefits provided under such plan or such health insurance coverage with respect to such provider or facility are terminated because of a change in the terms of the participation of such provider or facility in such plan or coverage; or

(C)a contract between such group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering health insurance coverage in connection with such plan is terminated, resulting in a loss of benefits provided under such plan with respect to such provider or facility;

(2)The requirements of this paragraph are that the plan or issuer—

(A)notify each individual enrolled under such plan or coverage who is a continuing care patient with respect to a provider or facility at the time of a termination described in paragraph (1) affecting such provider or facility on a timely basis of such termination and such individual’s right to elect continued transitional care from such provider or facility under this section;

(B)provide such individual with an opportunity to notify the plan or issuer of the individual’s need for transitional care; and

(C)permit the patient to elect to continue to have benefits provided under such plan or such coverage, under the same terms and conditions as would have applied and with respect to such items and services as would have been covered under such plan or coverage had such termination not occurred, with respect to the course of treatment furnished by such provider or facility relating to such individual’s status as a continuing care patient during the period beginning on the date on which the notice under subparagraph (A) is provided and ending on the earlier of—

(i)the 90-day period beginning on such date; or

(ii)the date on which such individual is no longer a continuing care patient with respect to such provider or facility.

(b)In this section:

(1)The term “continuing care patient” means an individual who, with respect to a provider or facility—

(A)is undergoing a course of treatment for a serious and complex condition from the provider or facility;

(B)is undergoing a course of institutional or inpatient care from the provider or facility;

(C)is scheduled to undergo nonelective surgery from the provider, including receipt of postoperative care from such provider or facility with respect to such a surgery;

(D)is pregnant and undergoing a course of treatment for the pregnancy from the provider or facility; or

(E)is or was determined to be terminally ill (as determined under section 1395x(dd)(3)(A) of this title) and is receiving treatment for such illness from such provider or facility.

(2)The term “serious and complex condition” means, with respect to a participant, beneficiary, or enrollee under a group health plan or group or individual health insurance coverage—

(A)in the case of an acute illness, a condition that is serious enough to require specialized medical treatment to avoid the reasonable possibility of death or permanent harm; or

(B)in the case of a chronic illness or condition, a condition that is— 11 So in original. Probably should be “a condition that—”.

(i)is life-threatening, degenerative, potentially disabling, or congenital; and

(ii)requires specialized medical care over a prolonged period of time.

(3)The term “terminated” includes, with respect to a contract, the expiration or nonrenewal of the contract, but does not include a termination of the contract for failure to meet applicable quality standards or for fraud.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section applicable with respect to plan years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2022, see section 113(e) of div. BB of Pub. L. 116–260, set out as a note under section 9818 of Title 26, Internal Revenue Code.

§300gg–113 Continuity of care

Summary

Title 42, §300gg–113

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Citations & Metadata