Report Title:

Health Insurance; Small Insurers

Description:

Allows the commissioner to exempt a small insurer that offers group health plans to small employers with only one employee, subject to the commissioner's determination that the small insurer is able to do so.  (CD1)

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	1803
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII		H.D. 1
		C.D. 1

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO HEALTH INSURANCE.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

     SECTION 1.  Section 431:2-201.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (c) to read as follows:

     "(c)  All group health issuers shall offer all small group health plans to all small employers whose employees live, work, or reside in the group health issuer's service areas; provided that the commissioner may exempt a group health issuer if the commissioner determines that the group health issuer does not have the capacity to deliver services adequately to enrollees of additional groups given its obligation to existing employer groups[.]; and provided further that the commissioner may exempt from this subsection group health plans offered to small employers that employ only one employee, if the group health insurer offers the small employer groups at least one small group health plan that meets the requirements of chapter 393, and upon the determination by the commissioner that the group health insurer has the capacity to adequately deliver services to enrollees of the additional groups subject to its obligations to existing employer groups."

     SECTION 2.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 3.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2007.