Healthcare

HB 618, the Health Insurance Access Protection Act, prohibits health insurers from denying coverage or charging higher premiums based on a person's health condition, including preexisting conditions. This law applies to both individual and group health insurance policies, protecting enrollees and their dependents from discrimination in enrollment or pricing. The Insurance Department and Commissioner are tasked with enforcing these rules, and the bill includes penalties for insurers that violate the prohibitions.

HB 404 amends Pennsylvania's Insurance Company Law to extend health insurance coverage for children under family policies. It requires policies to cover dependent children up to age 26 (previously 19) and prohibits insurers from denying or restricting coverage based on a child's financial dependency, residency, marital status, school enrollment, or employment. The bill also allows group health plans to extend coverage for adult children up to age 29 if they meet specific conditions, such as not being married, having no dependents, and residing in Pennsylvania or attending school full-time. This affects all health insurance policies sold in Pennsylvania that provide dependent child coverage.