Alaska Statutes 21.54.130 – Renewability, termination, and modification of coverage

(a) Except for a multiple employer welfare arrangement, a health care insurer that offers, issues for delivery, delivers, or renews in this state a health care insurance plan in the group market shall renew or continue in force the coverage under the plan at the option of the plan sponsor unless

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Terms Used In Alaska Statutes 21.54.130

Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
state: means the State of Alaska unless applied to the different parts of the United States and in the latter case it includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Alaska Statutes 01.10.060

(1) the plan sponsor has failed to pay premiums or contributions in accordance with the terms of the health care insurance plan or the health care insurer has not received timely premium payments;

(2) the plan sponsor has performed an act or practice that constitutes fraud or made an intentional misrepresentation of material fact under the terms of the coverage;

(3) the plan sponsor has failed to comply with a material plan provision relating to minimum participation or employer contribution requirements;

(4) the health care insurer ceases to offer coverage in accordance with (b) and (c) of this section;

(5) the health care insurer offers the plan only through a network plan and there is no longer an enrollee in connection with the plan who lives, resides, or works in the service area of the insurer or in the area for which the insurer is authorized to transact business; or

(6) in the case of a plan that is made available only through a bona fide association, the employer’s membership in the association ceases and coverage is terminated uniformly without regard to a health status factor of a covered individual.

(b) A health care insurer may discontinue offering a particular type of health care insurance plan in the group market as permitted by this title if the insurer

(1) provides written notice of the decision to discontinue coverage to all affected plan sponsors, participants, and beneficiaries and to the insurance regulatory official in each state in which an affected covered employee or dependent is known to reside; notice required under this paragraph must be given at least 180 days before the insurer fails to renew the health care insurance plan;

(2) provides written notice of the decision to discontinue coverage to the director and to the insurance regulatory official in each state in which the insurer is licensed at least 30 days before notice is given to the affected plan sponsors, participants, and beneficiaries as described under (1) of this subsection;

(3) offers to each plan sponsor who is provided the particular type of health care insurance plan the option to purchase another health care insurance plan currently being offered by the insurer to plan sponsors in the same market in the state; and

(4) acts uniformly without regard to the claims experience of those plan sponsors or to any health status factor of a covered participant or beneficiary or a new participant or beneficiary who may become eligible for coverage.

(c) A health care insurer may discontinue offering and renewing all health care insurance plans in the small group market, large group market, or both, as permitted by this title if the insurer

(2) provides written notice of the decision to discontinue coverage to the director and to the insurance regulatory official in each state in which the insurer is licensed at least 30 days before the notice is given to the affected plan sponsors, participants, and beneficiaries as described under (1) of this subsection; and

(3) does not issue a health care insurance plan in the group market in this state for five years from the date the last group health care insurance plan was discontinued.

(d) A health care insurer may modify a large employer’s health care insurance plan at the time of plan renewal.

(e) Except for coverage available only through a bona fide association, a health care insurer may modify a small employer’s health care insurance plan consistent with this title at the time of plan renewal only if the modification is uniform for all small employers with the same health care insurance plan.

(f) If a covered employee or dependent has committed a fraudulent act or made an intentional misrepresentation of a material fact in regard to a health care insurance plan, a health care insurer may terminate the coverage of the employee or the dependent under the plan.

(g) For purposes of this section, a plan sponsor includes an employer member of a bona fide association for a health care insurance plan made available by the health care insurer only through a bona fide association.

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