(a)

(1) Upon approval by the Insurance Commissioner, and following the adoption of such rules and regulations as the Insurance Commissioner deems necessary and advisable, each insurer issuing a policy under this chapter shall offer, as a part of the policy or as an optional endorsement to the policy, deductibles optional to the policyholder for benefits payable under this chapter.

(2) Deductible amounts offered shall be fully disclosed to the prospective policyholder in writing in the amount of one hundred dollars ($100), two hundred dollars ($200), three hundred dollars ($300), four hundred dollars ($400), and five hundred dollars ($500), or increments of five hundred dollars ($500), up to a maximum of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) per compensable claim, or in such other amounts as may be set by the Insurance Commissioner.

(3) The policyholder exercising the deductible option shall choose only one (1) deductible amount.

(b) Optional deductibles shall be offered in each policy insuring liability for workers' compensation that is issued, delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed under this chapter on or after approval by the Insurance Commissioner, unless an insured employer and insurer agree to renegotiate a workers' compensation policy in effect on that date so as to include a provision allowing for a deductible.

(c)

(1) If the policyholder exercises the option and chooses a deductible, the insured employer shall be liable for the amount of the deductible for benefits paid for each compensable claim of work injury suffered by an employee.

(2) The insurer shall pay all or part of the deductible amount, whichever is applicable to a compensable claim, to the person or medical provider entitled to the benefits conferred by this chapter and then seek reimbursement from the insured employer for the applicable deductible amount.

(3) The payment or nonpayment of deductible amounts by the insured employer to the insurer shall be treated under the policy insuring the liability for workers' compensation in the same manner as payment or nonpayment of premiums.

(d) If the Insurance Commissioner determines it to be feasible, and under such rules and regulations as he or she may adopt, premium reduction for deductibles may be determined before the application of any experience modification, premium surcharge, or premium discounts, and, to the extent that an employer's experience rating or safety record is based on benefits paid, money paid by the insured employer under a deductible as provided in this section may not be included as benefits paid so as to harm the experience rating of the employer.

(e) This section shall not apply to employers who are approved to self-insure against liability for workers' compensation or group self-insurance funds for workers' compensation.