§33-16-3l. Renewability and modification of health benefit plans.

(a) A health insurer may refuse to renew a health benefit plan issued in connection with a group health plan after complying with all applicable provisions of this chapter and only for one of the following reasons:

(1) The policyholder's failure to pay premiums or the carrier's failure to receive timely premium payments;

(2) Fraud or intentional misrepresentation of material fact by the policyholder;

(3) The policyholder's failure to comply with a material plan provision relating to contribution or group participation rules;

(4) The health insurer elects to discontinue offering health benefit plans:

(A) Of a particular type, if the health insurer gives notice to each policyholder of such plan and to all covered employees or members and dependents at least ninety days before the date such coverage is discontinued: Provided, That a health insurer electing to discontinue health benefit plans to small employers shall comply with the requirements of section seven, article sixteen-d of this chapter. The health insurer shall offer each such policyholder the option to purchase any other health benefit plan offered by the health insurer to employers. In electing to discontinue health benefit plans of a particular type and in offering coverage under the preceding sentence, the health insurer shall act uniformly without regard to policyholders' claims experience or any health status-related factor relating to any covered employee, member or dependent or new employees, members or dependents who may become eligible for coverage; or

(B) Of all types, if the health insurer gives notice to the commissioner and to each policyholder and all covered employees or members and dependents at least one hundred eighty days before the date plans are discontinued: Provided, That a health insurer electing to discontinue health benefit plans to small employers shall comply with the requirements of section seven, article sixteen-d of this chapter. The health insurer shall discontinue all, and not renew any, health benefit plans issued pursuant to this article. The health insurer may not issue any health benefit plan pursuant to this article for a five-year period beginning on the date the last discontinued health benefit plan is not renewed;

(5) For a health insurer offering coverage under a network plan, the health insurer no longer has any enrollees of the network plan who live, reside or work in the plan's service area; or

(6) For health benefit plans offered only through a bona fide association, an employer ceases to be a member of the bona fide association, if coverage is terminated uniformly without respect to any health status-related factor relating to any covered employee, association member or dependent. With respect to coverage provided to an employer, a reference to "policyholder" or "plan sponsor" is deemed to include a reference to the employer.

(b) Subject to other requirements of this chapter, a health insurer may modify a health benefit plan issued in connection with a group health plan when the health benefit plan is renewed.