SB 593

This bill modifies various insurance statutes that are generally administered by the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance.

First, under current law, OCI administers the Wisconsin Healthcare Stability Plan pursuant to state law and a waiver from the federal government. The federal waiver was approved in 2018 and, since being renewed in 2022, is set to expire on December 31, 2028. Current law provides that, before December 31, 2023, OCI may request the waiver’s renewal so long as legislation contrary to such a request is not enacted and may not request any other change to the waiver unless directed by the legislature. The bill deletes the deadline of December 31, 2023.

Second, current law defines “navigator” to mean a natural person or entity that engages in certain activities aimed at helping people understand their options when purchasing health insurance through the federal exchange website. Current law requires that natural persons be licensed, and entities be registered, to act as navigators. Current law frequently uses the terms “individual navigator” when referring to a natural person and “navigator entity” when referring to an entity, with neither term defined in statute. Also under current law, applicants for a navigator license must submit to state and federal background checks. To clarify that the background check requirement applies only to applicants who are natural persons, the bill defines “individual navigator” to refer to natural persons and “navigator entity” to refer to entities, and substitutes these terms for the generic term “navigator.” The bill amends various statutes to consistently use this terminology, without changing their substance.