No domestic, foreign or alien society authorized to do business in this State shall issue or deliver in this State any certificate or other evidence of any contract for temporary or permanent disability benefits as a result of disease or accident, or for hospital, medical or nursing benefits, unless and until the form thereof, together with the form of application and all riders or endorsements for use in connection therewith, shall have been filed with the commissioner and approved by him as conforming to reasonable rules and regulations from time to time made by him and as not inconsistent with any other provisions of law applicable thereto. The commissioner shall, within a reasonable time after the filing of any such form, notify the society filing the same either of his approval or of his disapproval of such form. The commissioner may approve any such form which in his opinion contains provisions on any one or more of the several requirements made by him which are more favorable to the insured members than the one or ones so required. The action of the commissioner in disapproving any such form shall be subject to judicial review. Pursuant to the foregoing provisions, the commissioner shall have power, from time to time, to make, alter and supersede reasonable regulations prescribing the required, optional and prohibited provisions in such contracts, and such regulations shall conform, as far as practicable, to the provisions of this code relating to similar contracts issued by other insurers. Where the commissioner deems inapplicable, either in part or in their entirety, the provisions of this code relating to similar contracts issued by other insurers, he may prescribe the portions or summary thereof of the contract to be printed on the certificate issued to the member. All rules and regulations made, altered or superseded by the commissioner pursuant to the authority granted in this section shall be in accordance with Chapter 4 of Part 1, Division 3, Title 2 of the Government Code.
(Amended by Stats. 1953, Ch. 46.)