SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1714        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 609

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act relative to the Qualifying Student Health Insurance Program..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Section 18 of Chapter 15A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking the section in its entirety and replacing it with the following:-

Section 18.  Every full-time and part-time student enrolled in a public or independent institution of higher learning located in the commonwealth shall be required to have comprehensive health insurance coverage that meets the definition of “creditable coverage” as defined in section 1 of chapter 111M.   For purposes of this section, “part-time student” shall mean a student participating in at least seventy-five percent of the full-time curriculum. 

Any public or independent institution of higher learning failing to carry out its responsibilities under this section shall pay a penalty of $1 per student for every day during which the failure continues.  Any penalty collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the Health Safety Net Trust Fund established in section 57 of chapter 118E. 

The division of insurance shall issue regulations to establish procedures to monitor compliance and to implement the provisions of this section. 

SECTION 2.  Section 1 of Chapter 111M of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking subsection (b) under the definition of “Creditable coverage” and replacing it with the following:-

(b) a health plan including, but not limited to, a health plan issued, renewed or delivered within or without the commonwealth to an individual who is enrolled in a qualifying student health program of another state;

SECTION 3.  Section 1 of Chapter 176M of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking subsection (b) under the definition of ‘Creditable coverage” and replacing it with the following:-

(b) a health plan, including, but not limited to, a health plan issued, renewed or delivered within or without the commonwealth to a natural person who is enrolled in a qualifying student health program of another state;

SECTION 4.  Section 1 of Chapter 176J of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking subsection (b) under the definition of “Creditable coverage” and replacing it with the following:-

(b) a health plan, including, but not limited to, a health plan issued, renewed or delivered within or without the commonwealth to a natural person who is enrolled in a qualifying student health program of another state;