(a)
Every insurer of long-term care in California shall:
(1)
Establish marketing procedures to ensure that any comparison of policies by its agents or other producers will be fair and accurate.
(2)
Establish marketing procedures to ensure excessive insurance is not sold or issued.
(3)
Submit to the commissioner within six months of the effective date of this act, a list of all agents or other insurer representatives authorized to solicit individual consumers for the sale of long-term care insurance. These submissions shall be updated at least semiannually.
(4)
Provide the following training and require that each agent or other insurer representative authorized to solicit individual consumers for the sale of long-term care insurance shall satisfactorily complete the following training requirements that, for resident licensees, shall count toward the licensee’s continuing education requirement, but may still result in completing more than the minimum number of continuing education hours set forth in this section:
(A)
For licensees issued a license after January 1, 1992, eight hours of training in each of the first four 12-month periods beginning from the date of original license issuance and thereafter eight hours of training prior to each license renewal.
(B)
For licensees issued a license before January 1, 1992, eight hours of training prior to each license renewal.
(C)
For nonresident licensees that are not otherwise subject to the continuing education requirements set forth in Section 1749.3, the evidence of training required by this section shall be filed with and approved by the commissioner as provided in subdivision (g) of Section 1749.4.
Licensees shall complete the initial training requirements of this section prior to being authorized to solicit individual consumers for the sale of long-term care insurance.
The training required by this section shall consist of topics related to long-term care services and long-term care insurance, including, but not limited to, California regulations and requirements, available long-term care services and facilities, changes or improvements in services or facilities, and alternatives to the purchase of private long-term care insurance. On or before July 1, 1998, the following
additional training topics shall be required: differences in eligibility for benefits and tax treatment between policies intended to be federally qualified and those not intended to be federally qualified, the effect of inflation in eroding the value of benefits and the importance of inflation protection, and NAIC consumer suitability standards and guidelines.
(5)
Display prominently on page one of the policy or certificate and the outline of coverage: “Notice to buyer: This policy may not cover all of the costs associated with long-term care incurred by the buyer during the period of coverage. The buyer is advised to review carefully all policy limitations.”
(6)
Inquire and otherwise make every reasonable effort to identify whether a prospective applicant or enrollee for long-term care insurance already has accident and sickness or long-term care insurance and the types and
amounts of any such insurance.
(7)
Every insurer or entity marketing long-term care insurance shall establish auditable procedures for verifying compliance with this subdivision.
(8)
Every insurer shall provide to a prospective applicant, at the time of solicitation, written notice that the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) provides health insurance counseling to senior California residents free of charge. Every agent shall provide the name, address, and telephone number of the local HICAP program and the statewide HICAP number, 1-800-434-0222.
(9)
Provide a copy of the long-term care insurance shoppers guide developed by the California Department of Aging to each prospective applicant prior to the presentation of an application or enrollment form for insurance.
(10)
Clearly post on its Internet Web site and provide written notice at the time of solicitation that a specimen individual policy form or group master policy and certificate form for each policy form offered in this state is available to a prospective applicant upon request. The individual specimen policy form or group master policy and certificate form shall be provided to a requesting party within 15 calendar days of receipt of a request.
(b)
In addition to other unfair trade practices, including those identified in this code, the following acts and practices are prohibited:
(1)
Twisting. Knowingly making any misleading representation, incomplete, or fraudulent comparison of any insurance policies or insurers for the purpose of inducing, or tending to induce, any person to lapse, forfeit, surrender, terminate,
retain, pledge, assign, borrow on, or convert any insurance policy or to take out a policy of insurance with another insurer.
(2)
High pressure tactics. Using any method of marketing having the effect of or tending to induce the purchase of insurance through force, fright, threat, whether explicit or implied, or undue pressure to purchase or recommend the purchase of insurance.
(3)
Cold lead advertising. Making use directly or indirectly of any method of marketing that fails to disclose in a conspicuous manner that a purpose of the method of marketing is solicitation of insurance and that contact will be made by an insurance agent or insurance company.
