2019 Revised Code of Washington
Title 48 - Insurance
Chapter 48.43 - Insurance Reform.
48.43.5051 Requests for confidential communications—Monitoring and ensuring compliance—Standardized form for submission of requests—Rules.

RCW 48.43.5051 Requests for confidential communications—Monitoring and ensuring compliance—Standardized form for submission of requests—Rules. (Effective January 1, 2020.)

(1) The commissioner shall:

(a) Develop a process for the regular collection of information from carriers on requests for confidential communications pursuant to RCW 48.43.505 for the purposes of monitoring compliance, including monitoring:

(i) The effectiveness of the process described in RCW 48.43.505 in allowing protected individuals to redirect insurance communications, the extent to which protected individuals are using the process, and whether the process is working properly; and

(ii) The education and outreach activities conducted by carriers to inform enrollees about their right to confidential communications;

(b) Establish a process for ensuring compliance; and

(c) Develop rules necessary to implement chapter 56, Laws of 2019.

(2) The commissioner shall work with stakeholders to develop and make available to the public a standardized form that a protected individual may submit to a carrier to make a confidential communications request. At minimum, this form must:

(a) Inform a protected individual about the protected individual's right to confidential communications;

(b) Allow a protected individual to indicate where to redirect communications, including a specified physical or email address or specified telephone number; and

(c) Include a disclaimer that it may take up to three business days from the date of receipt for a carrier to process the form.

[ 2019 c 56 § 4.]

NOTES:

Findings—Declarations—2019 c 56: "The legislature finds and declares:

(1) All people deserve the right to choose the health services that are right for them, and the right to confidential access to those health services.

(2) When people are assured of the ability to confidentially access health care services, they are more likely to seek health services, disclose health risk behaviors to a clinician, and return for follow-up care.

(3) When denied confidential access to needed care, people may delay or forgo care, leading to higher rates of unprotected sex, unintended pregnancy, untreated sexually transmitted infections, and mental health issues, or they may turn to public health safety net funds or free clinics to receive confidential care—important resources that should be reserved for people who do not have insurance coverage." [ 2019 c 56 § 1.]

Effective date—2019 c 56: "This act takes effect January 1, 2020." [ 2019 c 56 § 8.]