NDAC 45-08-01.2-06
Miscellaneous provisions
Cite as N.D. Admin. Code ยง 45-08-01.2-06
1.
A secondary plan that provides benefits in the form of services may recover the reasonable
cash value of the services from the primary plan, to the extent that benefits for the services
are covered by the primary plan and have not already been paid or provided by the primary
plan. Nothing in this provision shall be interpreted to require a plan to reimburse a covered
person in cash for the value of services provided by a plan that provides benefits in the form of
services.
2.
a.
A plan with order of benefits determination rules that comply with this chapter (complying
plan) may coordinate its benefits with a plan that is "excess" or "always secondary" or
that uses order of benefits determination rules that are inconsistent with those contained
in this chapter (noncomplying plan) on the following basis:
(1)
If the complying plan is the primary plan, it shall pay or provide its benefits first;
(2)
If the complying plan is the secondary plan, it shall pay or provide its benefits first,
but the amount of the benefits payable shall be determined as if the complying plan
were the secondary plan. In such a situation, the payment shall be the limit of the
complying plan's liability; and
(3)
If the noncomplying plan does not provide the information needed by the complying
plan to determine its benefits within a reasonable time after it is requested to do so,
the complying plan shall assume that the benefits of the noncomplying plan are
identical to its own, and shall pay its benefits accordingly. If within two years of
payment the complying plan receives information as to the actual benefits of the
noncomplying plan, it shall adjust payments accordingly.
b.
If the noncomplying plan reduces its benefits so that the covered person receives less in
benefits than the covered person would have received had the complying plan paid or
provided its benefits as the secondary plan and the noncomplying plan paid or provided
its benefits as the primary plan, and governing state law allows the right of subrogation
set forth below, then the complying plan shall advance to the covered person or on behalf
of the covered person an amount equal to the difference.
c.
In no event shall the complying plan advance more than the complying plan would have
paid had it been the primary plan less any amount it previously paid for the same
expense or service. In consideration of the advance, the complying plan shall be
subrogated to all rights of the covered person against the noncomplying plan. The
advance by the complying plan shall also be without prejudice to any claim it may have
against a noncomplying plan in the absence of subrogation.
3.
Coordination of benefits differs from subrogation. Provisions for one may be included in health
care benefits contracts without compelling the inclusion or exclusion of the other.
4.
If the plans cannot agree on the order of benefits within thirty calendar days after the plans
have received all of the information needed to pay the claim, the plans shall immediately pay
the claim in equal shares and determine their relative liabilities following payment, except that
no plan shall be required to pay more than it would have paid had it been the primary plan.