(a)  No plan, solicitor, solicitor firm, or representative shall use or permit the use of any advertising or solicitation which is untrue or misleading, or any form of evidence of coverage which is deceptive. For purposes of this article:

(1)  A written or printed statement or item of information shall be deemed untrue if it does not conform to fact in any respect which is, or may be significant to an enrollee or subscriber, or potential enrollee or subscriber in a plan.

(2)  A written or printed statement or item of information shall be deemed misleading whether or not it may be literally true, if, in the total context in which the statement is made or such item of information is communicated, such statement or item of information may be understood by a person not possessing special knowledge regarding health care coverage, as indicating any benefit or advantage, or the absence of any exclusion, limitation, or disadvantage of possible significance to an enrollee, or potential enrollee or subscriber, in a plan, and such is not the case.

(3)  An evidence of coverage shall be deemed to be deceptive if the evidence of coverage taken as a whole and with consideration given to typography and format, as well as language, shall be such as to cause a reasonable person, not possessing special knowledge of plans, and evidence of coverage therefor to expect benefits, service charges, or other advantages which the evidence of coverage does not provide or which the plan issuing such coverage or evidence of coverage does not regularly make available to enrollees or subscribers covered under such evidence of coverage.

(b)  No plan, or solicitor, or representative shall use or permit the use of any verbal statement which is untrue, misleading, or deceptive or make any representations about coverage offered by the plan or its cost that does not conform to fact. All verbal statements are to be held to the same standards as those for printed matter provided in subdivision (a).

(Added by Stats. 1975, Ch. 941.)