RICHMOND — Things may just have gotten a little easier for some small employers seeking insurance rate information or applying for group health insurance.

The State Corporation Commission’s (SCC) Bureau of Insurance is introducing a new uniform group health insurance application form to insurers doing business in Virginia. The form allows employers that are required to provide information regarding their employees to an insurer when applying for a group health insurance policy to use a standardized form that group insurers may elect to accept.

This form, called the Virginia Small Employer Group Health Insurance Medical History Form, may be used by small employers submitting group health insurance applications to, or seeking rate and coverage information from, one or more insurers. The form is intended to relieve small employers and their employees of the burden of completing multiple health insurance applications. Use of the form by insurers and small groups is voluntary.

The new form is the result of legislation passed by the 2008 Virginia General Assembly. House Bill 728 directed the Bureau of Insurance to convene a work group made up of representatives from insurers, insurance agent organizations, employer organizations, and the Virginia Association of Health Plans to develop - by July 1, 2009 - a uniform group health insurance application form.

The Bureau of Insurance has distributed copies of the form and instructions for its use to all health insurance companies, health services plans, and health maintenance organizations doing business in Virginia. Insurers may begin using the form, as approved, in hard copy or electronic format immediately. The text of the form may not be altered, and Bureau of Insurance guidelines allow for only minimal formatting changes. In addition, the form must contain the full and proper corporate name of the health insurance carrier using it.

The Bureau of Insurance will periodically survey insurance carriers concerning their use of this form, and will review and revise it, as needed, to ensure its ongoing compliance with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements and to ensure that it meets the needs of the insurers and small employers using it.

For more information or a copy of the application form, visit the Bureau of Insurance website at http://www.scc.virginia.gov/division/boi/webpages/boicompany.htm or call the Bureau at 1-877-310-6560.

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