House Bill 610 Summary

• Prohibits health carriers and insurance professionals from denying, canceling, or restricting health insurance coverage based on an applicant's or insured's abuse status, effective July 1, 2010.

• Requires health carriers to protect confidential abuse information and prohibits disclosure except to the subject of abuse, healthcare providers, designated physicians, courts, reinsurers, or other limited parties who execute written confidentiality agreements.

• Mandates that health carriers take adverse actions based on abuse-related medical conditions only if they demonstrate the action does not treat abuse status as an underwriting criterion and applies equally to all individuals with similar medical conditions.

• Requires health carriers to develop and distribute written policies to employees and contracted insurance professionals specifying procedures for protecting the safety and privacy of abuse survivors.

• Amends state law to prohibit abuse-related medical conditions from being classified as preexisting conditions for health insurance purposes, and authorizes the Insurance Commissioner to investigate complaints and enforce the act through civil penalties, license suspension, or other remedies.