Pursuant to the provisions of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, P.L. 104-191, and subject to applicable rules and regulations as issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, all insurers which issue, issue for delivery, deliver, or renew existing individual policies, certificates, or contracts of accident and sickness insurance in this state shall, subject only to timely payment of premiums, renew or continue such coverage at the option of the insured. Such other exemptions and exclusions as are permitted by the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, P.L. 104-191, Section 2742 shall also apply to individual accident and sickness insurance and insurers in this state.
(Code 1981, §33-29-21, enacted by Ga. L. 1997, p. 1462, § 4; Ga. L. 2002, p. 415, § 33; Ga. L. 2019, p. 386, § 97/SB 133.)
The 2019 amendment, effective July 1, 2019, in the first sentence of this Code section, deleted "on and after July 1, 1997," following "Medicaid Services," near the middle, and substituted "this state" for "the State of Georgia" in the middle.
Cross references.- Conversion privileges and continuation rights, § 33-24-21.1.
Individual health insurance coverage availability, T. 33, C. 29A.
Continuation of similar coverage, § 33-30-15.
Editor's notes.- Ga. L. 1997, p. 1462, § 1, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that that Act, which enacted this Code section, is intended to comply with the requirements of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, P.L. 104-191, as well as to provide an acceptable alternative mechanism for the availability of individual health insurance coverage as contemplated by that federal Act; and further provides that the Act shall be narrowly construed to achieve such purpose without otherwise limiting the state's legislative or regulatory powers with respect to insurance.