All health benefit plans offered to a federally eligible defined individual shall be renewable with respect to the individual and dependents at the option of the enrolled individual except in cases of:
(a) Nonpayment of the required premiums.
(b) Fraud or misrepresentation by the enrolled individual.
(c) The carrier ceases to provide or arrange for the provision of health care services for individual health benefit plan contracts in this state, provided, however, that the following conditions are satisfied:
(1) Notice of the decision to cease new or existing individual health benefit plans in this state is provided to the commissioner and to the contractholder.
(2) Individual health benefit plan contracts subject to this chapter shall not be canceled for 180 days after the date of the notice required under paragraph (1) and for that business of a carrier that remains in force, any carrier that ceases to offer for sale new individual health benefit plan contracts shall continue to be governed by this article with respect to business conducted under this chapter.
(3) A carrier that ceases to write new individual business in this state after the effective date of this chapter shall be prohibited from offering for sale new individual health benefit plan contracts in this state for a period of three years from the date of the notice to the commissioner.
(d) When a carrier withdraws a health benefit plan design from the individual market, provided that a carrier makes available to eligible individuals all health plan benefit designs that it makes available to new individual business, and provided that premium for the new health benefit plan complies with the renewal increase requirements set forth in Section 10901.9.
(e) (1) On and after January 1, 2014, and except as provided in paragraph (2), this section shall apply only to individual grandfathered health plans previously issued pursuant to this section to federally eligible defined individuals.
(2) If Section 5000A of the Internal Revenue Code, as added by Section 1501 of PPACA, is repealed or amended to no longer apply to the individual market, as defined in Section 2791 of the federal Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. Section 300gg-91), paragraph (1) shall become inoperative on the date of that repeal or amendment and this section shall apply to health benefit plans issued, amended, or renewed on or after that date.
(3) For purposes of this subdivision, the following definitions apply:
(A) “Grandfathered health plan” has the same meaning as that term is defined in Section 1251 of PPACA.
(B) “PPACA” means the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148), as amended by the federal Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-152), and any rules, regulations, or guidance issued pursuant to that law.
(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 441, Sec. 19. (AB 1180) Effective October 1, 2013.)