State of Connecticut Health Insurance Laws

Connecticut maintains dozens of state laws pertaining to health insurance. Many of the laws address regulations that insurance companies must follow. Some are designed to protect consumers and ensure quality coverage. Other laws target Connecticut residents. Most laws are established through the Connecticut General Statutes, a set of laws enacted by the state legislature. Other laws are administrative in nature and are mostly established by the Connecticut Department of Insurance, which bases most of the administrative law on the state's statutes.

Insurance Licensing Law

• Title 38a of the Connecticut General Statutes sets forth the requirements for companies wishing to offer health insurance in the state. The statutes require all companies wishing to offer insurance in the state to obtain a certificate of authority from the Connecticut Insurance Department. The application process requires the company to specify the lines of insurance it plans to write. The company also must show it has the necessary capital or reserve funds to provide benefits to insured individuals. The state's insurance commissioner uses the company's submitted financial information to make a determination as to whether to issue the certificate of authority. State law forbids companies to offer health insurance without proper licensing in the state.

Preexisting Condition Coverage

• Connecticut state law sets forth some regulations concerning preexisting medical conditions and their relation to health insurance. The law does not allow any insurer to deny coverage of preexisting conditions beyond 12 months of the start of a policy. The law also limits preexisting conditions to those medical conditions for which medical advice, diagnosis, care or treatment was recommended or received in the six months preceding the effective date of health insurance coverage. This means that a health insurance company cannot deny coverage for preexisting conditions that were not known to the insured but might have or did exist.

Insurance Information and Privacy Protection Act

• Chapter 705 of Title 38a features laws specific to privacy protection pertaining to health insurance. According to the language of the Connecticut state law, insurance companies are not allowed to disclose personal or privileged information regarding a person's health insurance transactions. Such disclosure is allowed only if the individual provides written authorization, which must include a date and signature. An exception to the rule is when an insurance institution requires such disclosure to enable the individual to receive some benefit from another individual. The law says that the disclosure must involve a business, professional or insurance function between the insurance company and the third party. The third party is required to follow the basic tenet of the law, too. This means that the third party is also banned from disclosing the information to anyone else without proper written authority.

Dissolution of Marriage Law Insurance Law

• The Connecticut General Statutes feature a law under the marriage and dissolution umbrella that pertains to health insurance. It sets forth the obligations of parents to provide for health insurance coverage for minor children. The law applies to all children younger than 19 or who have not completed 12th grade. The law also gives the court a right to establish court orders requiring one or both parents to pay for health insurance for minor children.