§33-25A-7a. Provider contracts.

(1) Whenever a contract exists between a health maintenance organization and a provider and the organization fails to meet its obligations to pay fees for services already rendered to a subscriber, the health maintenance organization is liable for the fee or fees rather than the subscriber; and the contract shall state that liability.

(2) No subscriber of a health maintenance organization is liable to any provider of health care services for any services covered by the health maintenance organization if at any time during the provision of the services, the provider, or its agents, are aware the subscriber is a health maintenance organization enrollee.

(3) If at any time during the provision of the services, a provider, or its agents, are aware that the subscriber is a health maintenance organization enrollee, that provider of services or any representative of the provider may not collect or attempt to collect from a health maintenance organization subscriber any money for services covered by a health maintenance organization and no provider or representative of the provider may maintain any action at law against a subscriber of a health maintenance organization to collect money owed to the provider by a health maintenance organization.

(4) Every contract between a health maintenance organization and a provider of health care services shall be in writing and shall contain a provision that the subscriber is not liable to the provider for any services covered by the subscriber's contract with the health maintenance organization.

(5) The provisions of this section shall not be construed to apply to the amount of any deductible or copayment which is not covered by the contract of the health maintenance organization.

(6) When a subscriber receives covered emergency health care services from a noncontracting provider, the health maintenance organization shall be responsible for payment of the providers normal charges for those health care services, exclusive of any applicable deductibles or copayments.

(7) For all provider contracts executed on or after April 15, one thousand nine hundred ninety-five, and within one hundred eighty days of that date for contracts in existence on that date:

(a) The contracts must provide that the provider shall provide sixty days advance written notice to the health maintenance organization and the commissioner before canceling the contract with the health maintenance organization for any reason; and

(b) The contract must also provide that nonpayment for goods or services rendered by the provider to the health maintenance organization is not a valid reason for avoiding the sixty day advance notice of cancellation.

(8) Upon receipt by the health maintenance organization of a sixty day cancellation notice, the health maintenance organization may, if requested by the provider, terminate the contract in less than sixty days if the health maintenance organization is not financially impaired or insolvent.