Sec 20-2305. Accountable health plan uniform employee health status questionnaire; committee; definition

A. The uniform employee health status questionnaire committee is established in the department consisting of at least nine members, including the director or the director's designee, who are appointed by the director. The director shall appoint to the committee four representatives of accountable health plans, two insurance producers who work primarily in the small business health insurance market and two small business representatives who are knowledgeable about health insurance. The director or the director's designee shall serve as chairperson of the committee.

B. The committee shall develop a uniform employee health status questionnaire to simplify the health insurance application process for small groups. The committee shall study employee health status questionnaires currently used by major accountable health plans in this state and consolidate the questionnaires into a uniform questionnaire. The questionnaire shall be designed to permit its use both as a written document and through electronic or other alternative delivery formats.

C. On or before April 1, 2008, the department shall prescribe the uniform employee health status questionnaire that the committee developed. Beginning January 1, 2009, an accountable health plan shall use the questionnaire for all small groups for which it requires employees and their covered dependents to complete questionnaires.

D. The director as needed may reconvene the uniform employee health status questionnaire committee to consider whether changes are necessary in the uniform employee health status questionnaire. If the committee determines that changes to the questionnaire are necessary, the director may prescribe a revised questionnaire. Accountable health plans shall use the revised questionnaire beginning one hundred eighty days after the director prescribes a revision.

E. Committee members serve at the pleasure of the director and are not eligible to receive compensation or reimbursement of expenses.

F. For the purposes of this section, "employee health status questionnaire" means a questionnaire that poses questions about an individual employee or covered dependent's health history and that is to be completed by the individual employee or covered dependent of a small group that seeks health insurance coverage from an accountable health plan.