Medicare program; conditional designation of States in which Medicare SELECT insurance policies may be issued--HCFA. General notice with comment period.

This notice announces the Secretary's conditional determination of the 15 States in which Medicare supplemental insurance policies (commonly referred to as "Medigap" policies) may be issued as Medicare SELECT policies. The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (OBRA '90), Public Law 101-508, amended section 1882 of the Social Security Act to provide for the simplification and standardization of Medicare supplemental insurance policies and to authorize the approval of Medicare SELECT policies in fifteen States, as determined by the Secretary, for a three-year period. Under State-approved Medicare SELECT policies, insurers may restrict full Medicare supplemental insurance benefits to items and services provided by a network of physicians and providers under contract with the insurer. This notice implements section 4358(c) of OBRA '90, which provides for the designation of the 15 States in which Medicare SELECT policies may be approved for issuance during the period January 1, 1992 through December 31, 1994.