AB 2244 Summary

• Prohibits health care service plans and insurers from excluding or limiting coverage for children under 19 years of age due to preexisting conditions, effective immediately for group coverage and by January 1, 2014 for individual coverage.

• Requires plans and insurers offering individual market coverage to guarantee issue plans to children during open enrollment periods and to late enrollees within 63 days of qualifying events, with coverage becoming effective within one to two months of premium payment.

• Establishes rate limitations for child coverage from the bill's effective date through December 31, 2013: rates cannot exceed two times the standard risk rate during open enrollment or for late enrollees, with possible 20 percent surcharge for those with 90-day coverage gaps; effective January 1, 2014, rates must equal the standard risk rate.

• Prohibits plans and insurers from conditioning coverage on health status factors including medical condition, claims experience, genetic information, or disability when offering coverage to children during open enrollment periods.

• Prevents carriers that do not or cease to write new individual health insurance policies for children from offering new individual policies in California for five years following notice to regulators.