(a) Every health insurer that offers, issues, or renews health insurance under an individual health benefit plan, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 10198.6, shall offer to any individual, who was covered under an individual health benefit plan that was rescinded, a new individual health benefit plan without medical underwriting that provides equal benefits. A health insurer may also permit an individual, who was covered under an individual health benefit plan that was rescinded, to remain covered under that individual health benefit plan, with a revised premium rate that reflects the number of persons remaining on the health benefit plan.

(b) “Without medical underwriting” means that the health insurer shall not decline to offer coverage to, or deny enrollment of, the individual or impose any preexisting condition exclusion on the individual who is issued a new individual health benefit plan or remains covered under an individual health benefit plan pursuant to this section.

(c) If a new individual health benefit plan is issued, the insurer may revise the premium rate to reflect only the number of persons covered under the new individual health benefit plan.

(d) Notwithstanding subdivisions (a) and (b), if an individual was subject to a preexisting condition provision or a waiting or affiliation period under the individual health benefit plan that was rescinded, the health insurer may apply the same preexisting condition provision or waiting or affiliation period in the new individual health benefit plan. The time period in the new individual health benefit plan for the preexisting condition provision or waiting or affiliation period shall not be longer than the one in the individual health benefit plan that was rescinded and the health insurer shall credit any time that the individual was covered under the rescinded individual health benefit plan.

(e) The insurer shall notify in writing all insureds of the right to coverage under an individual health benefit plan pursuant to this section, at a minimum, when the insurer rescinds the individual health benefit plan. The notice shall adequately inform insureds of the right to coverage provided under this section.

(f) The insurer shall provide 60 days for insureds to accept the offered new individual health benefit plan and this plan shall be effective as of the effective date of the original individual health benefit plan and there shall be no lapse in coverage.

(g) This section shall not apply to any individual whose information in the application for coverage and related communications led to the rescission.

(h) (1) This section shall become inoperative on January 1, 2014, 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 operative 12 months after the date of that repeal or amendment.

(Amended by Stats. 2013, 1st Ex. Sess., Ch. 1, Sec. 4. (AB 2 1x) Effective September 30, 2013. Inoperative, by its own provisions, on January 1, 2014, subject to condition for resuming operation. See later operative version added by Sec. 5 of Ch. 1.)