(a) A health insurer that renews individual grandfathered health benefit plans shall be subject to this section.
(b) An insurer subject to this section shall have written policies, procedures, or underwriting guidelines establishing the criteria and process whereby the insurer makes its decision to provide or to deny coverage to dependents applying for an individual grandfathered health benefit plan and sets the rate for that coverage. These guidelines, policies, or procedures shall ensure that the plan rating and underwriting criteria comply with Sections 10140 and 10291.5 and all other applicable provisions of state and federal law.
(c) On or before the June 1 next following the operative date of this section, and annually thereafter, every insurer shall file with the commissioner a general description of the criteria, policies, procedures, or guidelines that the insurer uses for rating and underwriting decisions related to individual grandfathered health benefit plans, which means automatic declinable health conditions, health conditions that may lead to a coverage decline, height and weight standards, health history, health care utilization, lifestyle, or behavior that might result in a decline for coverage or severely limit the health insurance products for which individuals applying for coverage would be eligible. An insurer may comply with this section by submitting to the department underwriting materials or resource guides provided to agents and brokers, provided that those materials include the information required to be submitted by this section.
(d) Nothing in this section shall authorize public disclosure of company-specific rating and underwriting criteria and practices submitted to the commissioner.
(e) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) “PPACA” means the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148), as amended by the federal Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-152), and any rules, regulations, or guidance issued pursuant to that law.
(2) “Grandfathered health benefit plan” has the same meaning as that term is defined in Section 1251 of PPACA.
(f) (1) This section shall become operative on November 1, 2013, or the 91st calendar day following the adjournment of the 2013–14 First Extraordinary Session, whichever date is later.
(2) If Section 5000A of the Internal Revenue Code, as added by Section 1501 of PPACA, is repealed or amended to no longer apply to the individual market, as defined in Section 2791 of the federal Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 300gg-4), this section shall become inoperative 12 months after the date of that repeal or amendment.
(Added by Stats. 2013, 1st Ex. Sess., Ch. 1, Sec. 2. (AB 2 1x) Effective September 30, 2013. Section operative November 1, 2013, by its own provisions. Conditionally inoperative, as prescribed by its own provisions. Upon inoperation, see the previous version, as amended by Sec. 1 of Ch. 1, which would resume operation.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018