This bill amends RCW 48.66.025 to add a guaranteed-issue requirement for Medicare supplement policies and certificates. It prohibits an issuer from denying coverage, conditioning issuance or effectiveness, or using health status, claims history, receipt of health care, or medical condition to price-discriminate when an application is submitted either during a six-month initial guaranteed-issue period (the six months beginning the first day of the first month in which an individual is age 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B) or, for individuals already enrolled in Medicare Part B, during any annual open enrollment period for Medicare Part B or Medicare Advantage. Insurers must make each Medicare supplement policy and certificate they currently offer available to applicants who qualify under these rules without regard to age. The bill also changes rules on preexisting condition exclusions: if a qualifying applicant has had continuous creditable coverage for at least three months as of the application date, the issuer may not impose a preexisting condition exclusion; if the applicant’s continuous creditable coverage is less than three months, the issuer must reduce any preexisting condition exclusion period by the aggregate period of creditable coverage as of the enrollment date. The act takes effect January 1, 2027. This is a modification of existing insurance law (an amendment to RCW 48.66.025) creating a guaranteed-issue entitlement and adjusting preexisting condition exclusion treatment. The extracted text does not include statutory definitions for terms such as “creditable coverage,” “issuer,” or the exact dates or statutory definition of “annual open enrollment period,” and it appears limited to this RCW amendment and the effective date; other parts of the bill or related statutes are not provided.

If enacted, people who are turning 65 and enrolling in Medicare Part B, or people already on Part B during yearly open enrollment periods, will be able to buy any Medicare supplement policy the insurer sells without being turned down, charged more, or priced differently because of their health. Insurers would also be limited in applying preexisting condition exclusions: applicants with at least three months of continuous "creditable coverage" cannot have benefits excluded, and applicants with less than three months only get the exclusion period shortened by their prior coverage. This takes effect January 1, 2027. The direct impact falls mainly on insurers who issue Medigap policies: they must make all current plans available to qualifying applicants and shoulder more enrollment risk from people with health problems, which could lead insurers to raise premiums, change plan offerings, or adjust underwriting practices elsewhere to manage costs. Consumers gain clearer access and fewer barriers, but the text omits exact definitions (for example what counts as creditable coverage and the exact dates of annual open enrollment), so some implementation details and timing remain uncertain.