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

(B) A health insurance issuer may nonrenew or discontinue health insurance coverage of an individual in the individual market based only on one or more of the following:

(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 made an intentional misrepresentation of 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) and applicable state law;

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

(5) with the approval of the director or his designee, in the case of health insurance coverage that is made available in 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 under this item uniformly without regard to any health status-related factor of covered individuals.

(C)(1) In any case in which an issuer decides to discontinue offering a particular type of health insurance coverage offered in the individual market, coverage of such type may be discontinued by the issuer only if the issuer:

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

(b) 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 such market; and

(c) in exercising the option to discontinue coverage of this type and in offering the option of coverage under subitem (b), the issuer acts uniformly without regard to any health status-related factor of enrolled individuals or individuals who may become eligible for the coverage.

(2)(a) Subject to subitem (c), in any case in which a health insurance issuer elects to discontinue offering all health insurance coverage in the individual market in this State, health insurance coverage may be discontinued by the issuer only if:

(i) the issuer provides notice to the director and to each individual of the discontinuation at least one hundred eighty days before the date of the expiration of the coverage; and

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

(b) In the case of a discontinuation under subitem (a) in the individual market, the issuer may not provide for the issuance of any health insurance coverage in the market and this State during the five-year period beginning on the date of the discontinuation of the last health insurance coverage not so renewed.

(D) At the time of coverage renewal, a health insurance issuer may modify the health insurance coverage for a policy form offered to individuals in the individual market so long as the modification is consistent with state law and effective on a uniform basis among all individuals with that policy form.

(E) In applying this section in the case of health insurance coverage that is made available by a health insurance issuer in the individual market to individuals only through one or more associations, a reference to an "individual" is deemed to include a reference to such an association of which the individual is a member.

HISTORY: 1997 Act No. 5, Section 2.