State RegulationsMA specificDifficulty 1/5
Under M.G.L. c. 176K, § 3(b), which preexisting-condition waiting period may a Massachusetts Medicare supplement policy contain?
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
M.G.L. c. 176K, § 3(b) forbids any Massachusetts Medicare supplement policy from containing a waiting period or preexisting condition limitation or exclusion. Massachusetts is stricter than the familiar federal-style approach under which a 6-month look-back on preexisting conditions is common: in the Commonwealth the number is zero, and no contractual device can reintroduce it. The 6-month figure candidates associate with Medicare supplement underwriting is wrong here as a waiting period — the Massachusetts Division of Insurance enforces the outright ban.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) The 6-month preexisting waiting period is the federal-style number Massachusetts expressly forbids; c. 176K, § 3(b) permits none.
- C) No fixed waiting period for new applicants is authorized either; the ban covers any waiting period or preexisting limitation.
- D) A 12-month limitation on prior conditions is a preexisting limitation, and c. 176K, § 3(b) prohibits those outright.
Memory hook
In Massachusetts the med-supps waiting period is zero — 3(b) forbids it outright.