(1) No person, including a member insurer, agent, or affiliate of a member insurer shall make, publish, disseminate, circulate, or place before the public, or cause directly or indirectly, to be made, published, disseminated, circulated, or placed before the public, in any newspaper, magazine, or other publication, or in the form of a notice, circular, pamphlet, letter, or poster, or over any radio station or television station, or social media, or in any other way, an advertisement, announcement, or statement, written or oral, which uses the existence of the South Carolina Life and Accident and Health Insurance Guaranty Association for the purpose of sales, solicitation, or inducement to purchase any form of insurance or other coverage covered by this chapter. However, this section shall not apply to the South Carolina Life and Accident and Health Insurance Guaranty Association or any other entity which does not sell or solicit insurance or coverage by a health maintenance organization.
(2) Within one hundred eighty days of July 1, 2020, the association shall prepare a summary document describing the general purposes and current limitations of the chapter and complying with this section. This document must be submitted to the director for approval. At the expiration of the sixtieth day after the date on which the director approves the document, a member insurer may not deliver a policy or contract to a policy owner, contract owner, certificate holder, or enrollee unless the summary document is delivered to the policy owner, contract owner, certificate holder, or enrollee at the time of delivery of the policy or contract. The document must be made available upon request by a policy owner, contract owner, certificate holder, or enrollee. The distribution, delivery, or contents or interpretation of this document does not guarantee that either the policy or the contract or the policy owner, contract owner, certificate holder, or enrollee is covered in the event of the impairment or insolvency of a member insurer. The description document must be revised by the association as amendments to the chapter may require. Failure to receive this document does not give the policy owner, contract owner, certificate holder, enrollee, or insured any greater rights than those stated in this chapter.
(3) The document shall contain a clear and conspicuous disclaimer on its face. The director shall establish the form and content of the disclaimer. The disclaimer shall:
(a) state the name and address of the South Carolina Life and Accident and Health Insurance Guaranty Association and insurance department;
(b) prominently warn the policy owner, contract owner, certificate holder, or enrollee that the South Carolina Life and Accident and Health Insurance Guaranty Association may not cover the policy or contract or, if coverage is available, it will be subject to substantial limitations and exclusions and conditioned on continued residence in this State;
(c) state the types of policies or contracts for which guaranty funds will provide coverage;
(d) state the member insurer and its agents are prohibited by law from using the existence of the South Carolina Life and Accident and Health Insurance Guaranty Association for the purpose of sales, solicitation, or inducement to purchase any form of insurance or health maintenance organization coverage;
(e) state that the policy owner, contract owner, certificate holder, or enrollee should not rely on coverage under the South Carolina Life and Accident and Health Insurance Guaranty Association when selecting an insurer or health maintenance organization;
(f) explain rights available and procedures for filing a complaint to allege a violation of any provisions of this chapter; and
(g) provide other information as directed by the director including, but not limited to, sources for information about the financial condition of insurers provided that the information is not proprietary and is subject to disclosure under that state's public records law.
(4) A member insurer shall retain evidence of compliance for so long as the policy or contract for which the notice is given remains in effect.
HISTORY: 2020 Act No. 121 (S.580), Section 1.A, eff March 24, 2020.
Editor's Note
Prior Laws: Former Section 38-29-200 was titled Construction, and had the following history: Former 1976 Code Section 38-29-200 [1962 Code Section 37-1418; 1971 (57) 351] recodified as Section 38-21-210 by 1987 Act No. 155, Section 1; Former 1976 Code Section 38-17-190 [1962 Code Section 37-564; 1972 (57) 2776] recodified as Section 38-29-200 by 1987 Act No. 155, Section 1; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 631. See now, Code 1976 Section 38-29-210.
Editor's Note
2020 Act No. 121, Section 1.B, provides as follows:
"[1.]B. The amendments made by this act do not apply to a member insurer that has been placed under an order of rehabilitation or liquidation before July 1, 2020."