Health Insurance Articles
Basic Rules And Regulations In Georgia Health Insurance Law
2011-08-03
Health insurance regulations can have a dramatic effect on coverage in any state. State law controls how insurance companies do business and how they're allowed to price their policies. In Georgia, health insurance laws are fairly standard, but there are several provisions that every policy holder should be sure to know about before buying a policy in order to ensure fair treatment. Staying protected is much easier with some basic information about Georgia health insurance law.
As is the case in many states, Georgia health insurance claims are regulated by the insurance commission. Georgia health insurance regulations specifically prohibit insurance companies from taking too long when responding to a claim. According to state law, an insurance company must respond to a claim within 15 days. This response can either approve a claim, deny a claim or request more information in order to make a judgment. Once the insurance buyer has provided enough information for the insurance company to make a decision, the decision must be submitted within 15 days. Insurance companies can face penalties for taking too long to respond to a claim, including fines and limitations on the company's ability to do business in the state of Georgia for repeated infractions.
Most other rules in Georgia mirror the basic health insurance arrangements of other states, with an established "free look" period of 10 days to allow policy holders to cancel coverage without consequences after buying a policy. In addition to this, Georgia policy holders benefit from guaranteed renewability, which insures that a policy can be renewed at any policy period as long as the insurance policy holder is paying on time. This also applies to new policies; if a policy holder switches to a new insurer, the new insurer has to abide by the guaranteed renewability requirements of the state. Avoiding a lapse in coverage is crucial for Georgia health insurance policy holders, as a single lapse in coverage can void this guarantee for policy renewal.
Georgia also regulates insurance providers in the state to ensure fair treatment for its residents. These services are provided by the consumer division of the Georgia Office of Insurance. The Office of Insurance provides many resources for consumers and allows a legal way to make a complaint about an insurer that is pricing its policies unfairly or taking too long to respond to a claim. Policy holders in the state of Georgia can use this department along with insurance quotes from individual insurance providers to get an appropriate policy. Exercising control over a health insurance plan is much easier with some knowledge of Georgia's laws and the health insurance regulation resources in the state.
