(1) The commissioner shall adopt rules requiring disclosure to consumers of the level, type, and amount of benefits provided and the limitations, exclusions, and exceptions contained in a long-term care insurance policy or contract. In adopting such rules the commissioner shall require an understandable disclosure to consumers of any cost for services that the consumer will be responsible for in utilizing benefits covered under the policy or contract.

(2) Each long-term care insurance policy or contract shall include a provision, prominently displayed on the first page of the policy or contract, stating in substance that the person to whom the policy or contract is sold shall be permitted to return the policy or contract within thirty days of its delivery. In the case of policies or contracts solicited and sold by mail, the person may return the policy or contract within sixty days. Once the policy or contract has been returned, the person may have the premium refunded if, after examination of the policy or contract, the person is not satisfied with it for any reason. An additional ten percent penalty shall be added to any premium refund due which is not paid within thirty days of return of the policy or contract to the insurer or insurance producer. If a person, pursuant to such notice, returns the policy or contract to the insurer at its branch or home office, or to the insurance producer from whom the policy or contract was purchased, the policy or contract shall be void from its inception, and the parties shall be in the same position as if no policy or contract had been issued.

(3) No later than January 1, 2010, or when the insurer has used all of its existing paper long-term care insurance policy forms which were in its possession on July 1, 2009, whichever is earlier, the notice required by subsection (2) of this section shall use the term insurance producer in place of agent.

Severability—Effective date—2008 c 217: See notes following RCW 48.03.020.