An applicant for a Massachusetts Medicare supplement policy was treated for high blood pressure before applying. The carrier's underwriter proposes to attach a 6-month rider limiting coverage for that condition. Under M.G.L. c. 176K, § 3(b), the carrier:

Why D is correct

M.G.L. c. 176K, § 3(b) provides that no Massachusetts Medicare supplement policy may contain any waiting period or preexisting condition limitation or exclusion. A rider singling out a treated condition is precisely such a limitation, so it cannot be attached regardless of the condition's severity, the timing of the diagnosis, or the applicant's consent. Massachusetts has replaced the familiar federal-style look-back with an absolute prohibition that the Massachusetts Division of Insurance enforces against exactly this kind of underwriting device.

Why the other options are wrong

• A) Preexisting conditions are not subject to any limitation period in Massachusetts Medicare supplement coverage; the premise is the opposite of the statute.
• B) Applicant consent cannot authorize what the statute forbids; a signed acknowledgment does not make the rider lawful.
• C) The recency of the diagnosis is irrelevant; c. 176K, § 3(b) permits no preexisting limitation on any condition, however recent.

Memory hook

Hypertension or heart surgery — 3(b) allows no preexisting rider of any kind.