(a) General rule.--A corporation not-for-profit incorporated for the purpose of establishing, maintaining and operating a nonprofit professional health service plan, nonprofit dental service plan or nonprofit optometric service plan shall not commence business until it shall have received from the department a certificate of authority authorizing the corporation to establish, maintain and operate a nonprofit professional health service plan, a nonprofit dental service plan or a nonprofit optometric service plan, as the case may be.

(b) Exemptions.--The provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to any nonprofit corporation incorporated with the approval of the department under the former provisions of section 219 or 220 of the Nonprofit Corporation Law of 1933. For the purposes of this chapter such a corporation shall be deemed to be a holder of a certificate of authority issued under this section as:

(1) an optometric service corporation, if incorporated under the former provisions of section 219 of the Nonprofit Corporation Law of 1933 for the primary purpose of providing a nonprofit optometric service plan;

(2) a general medical service corporation, if incorporated under the former provisions of section 219 of the Nonprofit Corporation Law of 1933 for any other purpose; or

(3) a dental service corporation, if incorporated under the former provisions of section 220 of the Nonprofit Corporation Law of 1933.

(c) Form of application.--Every application for a certificate of authority under this section shall be made to the Insurance Department in writing and shall be in such form and contain such information as the regulations of the Department of Health and the Insurance Department may require. The Insurance Department shall forward the application to the Department of Health for action thereon and report to the Insurance Department.

(d) Standards for issuance of certificate.--A certificate of authority shall be issued by order of the Insurance Department only if and when the Department of Health and the Insurance Department shall severally find and determine that the application complies with the provisions of this chapter and the regulations of the Department of Health and the Insurance Department thereunder.

(e) Procedure.--The proceedings before the Department of Health and the Insurance Department shall be subject to the provisions of section 6102(e) of this title (relating to procedure before department) and the term department in such section shall be deemed to be a reference also to the Department of Health. Each department shall make a thorough investigation of the applicant and the area in and the plan under which it proposes to operate.

(f) Judicial review.--The final orders of the Department of Health and the Insurance Department upon an application for a certificate of authority under this section shall be deemed to be a single order for the purposes of judicial review and to have been issued on the date the Insurance Department issues its final order after having considered the final action of the Department of Health upon the application. Such order, and all other orders of each department, shall be subject to judicial review in the manner and within the time provided by law.

Cross References. Section 6304 is referred to in section 6322 of this title.