Senate Bill No. 54

(By Senators Wooton and Sharpe)

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[Introduced February 14, 1997; referred to the Committee
on Banking and Insurance.]
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A BILL to amend article fifteen, chapter thirty-three of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated section sixteen-a, relating to requiring insurers that provide coverage for certain retired insureds to include coverage for the spouse of the insured without regard to the age of the spouse.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article fifteen, chapter thirty-three of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section sixteen-a, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 15. ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS INSURANCE.

§33-15-16a. Policies not to exclude insured's spouse from coverage.

An insurer issuing discounted accident and sickness policies in this state to retired persons age sixty-five or over shall provide coverage to the spouse of the insured without regard to the age of the spouse. The insurer shall provide coverage to the spouse under the same terms and conditions as apply to the insured.


NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require insurers that provide coverage for retired insureds age sixty-five or over to include coverage for the spouse of the insured without regard to the age of the spouse.

This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.