(a) The Exchange shall grant an exemption for reason of hardship from the Minimum Essential Coverage Individual Mandate established in Section 100705 for a given month upon determining that an individual has suffered a hardship with respect to the capability to obtain minimum essential coverage.

(b) The Exchange shall grant an exemption for reason of religious conscience from the Minimum Essential Coverage Individual Mandate established in Section 100705 for a given month upon determining that an individual for that month is either of the following:

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(1) A member of a recognized religious sect or division thereof, as described in Section 1402(g)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and is an adherent of established tenets or teachings of that sect or division.

(2) A member of a religious sect or division thereof that is not described in Section 1402(g)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, who relies solely on a religious method of healing, for whom the acceptance of medical health services would be inconsistent with the religious beliefs of the individual, and who includes an attestation that the individual has not received medical health services during the preceding taxable year. For purposes of this paragraph, the term “medical health services” does not include routine dental, vision, and hearing services, midwifery services, vaccinations, necessary medical services provided to children, services required by law or by a third party, and other services as the Secretary of United States Department of Health and Human Services may provide in implementing Section 1311(d)(4)(H) of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. An individual who claims this exemption, but received medical health services during the coverage year, shall lose eligibility for the religious conscience exemption, is liable for the cost of the care, and is liable for the Individual Shared Responsibility Penalty.

(c) The Exchange shall establish a process for determining whether an individual is entitled to an exemption pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b), issuing a certificate of exemption to an individual, and notifying the individual and the Franchise Tax Board of the determination in a time and manner as the Exchange, in consultation with the Franchise Tax Board, determines is feasible and prompt. The Exchange may contract with a third party or another entity, including a state or federal agency, to administer this section.

(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 38, Sec. 10. (SB 78) Effective June 27, 2019.)