A. Except as otherwise provided in this section, a health insurance issuer that provides individual health insurance coverage to an individual shall renew or continue that coverage in force at the option of the individual.

B. A health insurance issuer may refuse to renew or discontinue health insurance coverage of an individual in the individual market if:

(1) the individual has failed to pay premiums or contributions in accordance with the terms of the health insurance coverage or the issuer has not received timely premium payments;

(2) the individual has performed an act or practice that constitutes fraud or has made an intentional misrepresentation of a material fact under the terms of the coverage;

(3) the issuer is ceasing to offer coverage in the individual market in accordance with Subsection C of this section;

(4) in the case of a health insurance issuer that offers health insurance coverage in the market through a network plan, the individual no longer lives, resides or works in the service area of the issuer or the area for which the issuer is authorized to do business but only if the coverage is terminated pursuant to this paragraph uniformly without regard to any health status related factor of covered individuals; and

(5) in the case of health insurance coverage that is made available to the individual market only through one or more bona fide associations, the membership of the individual in the association on the basis of which the coverage is provided ceases, but only if the coverage is terminated pursuant to this paragraph uniformly without regard to any health status related factor of covered individuals.

C. A health insurance issuer may discontinue offering a particular type of group health insurance coverage offered in the individual market only if:

(1) the issuer provides notice to each covered individual provided coverage of this type in the market of the discontinuation at least ninety days prior to the date of the discontinuation;

(2) the issuer offers to each individual in the individual market provided coverage of this type the option to purchase any other individual health insurance coverage currently being offered by the issuer for individuals in that market; and

(3) in exercising the option to discontinue coverage of this type and in offering the option of coverage pursuant to Paragraph (2) of this subsection, the issuer acts uniformly without regard to any health status related factor of enrolled individuals or individuals who may become eligible for that coverage.

D. If a health insurance issuer elects to discontinue offering all health insurance coverage, the individual coverage may be discontinued only if:

(1) the issuer provides notice to the superintendent and to each individual of the discontinuation at least one hundred eighty days prior to the date of the expiration of the coverage; and

(2) all health insurance issued or delivered for issuance in the state in the market is discontinued and coverage is not renewed.

E. After discontinuation pursuant to Subsection D of this section, the health insurance issuer shall not provide for the issuance of any health insurance coverage in the market involved during the five-year period beginning on the date of the discontinuation of the last health insurance coverage not renewed.

F. At the time of coverage renewal pursuant to Subsection A of this section, a health insurance issuer may modify the coverage for a policy form offered to individuals in the individual market if the modification is consistent with law and effective on a uniform basis among all individuals with that policy form.

G. If health insurance coverage is made available by a health insurance issuer in the individual market to an individual only through one or more associations, a reference to an "individual" is deemed to include a reference to that association.

History: 1978 Comp., § 59A-23E-19, enacted by Laws 1998, ch. 41, § 23.