Section 10714.

Premiums for benefit plan designs written, issued, or administered by carriers on or after the effective date of this act, shall be subject to the following requirements:

(a) (1) The premium for new business shall be determined for an eligible employee in a particular risk category after applying a risk adjustment factor to the carrier's standard employee risk rates. The risk adjusted employee risk rate may not be more than 120 percent or less than 80 percent of the carrier's applicable standard employee risk rate until July 1, 1996. Effective July 1, 1996, the risk adjusted employee risk rate may not be more than 110 percent or less than 90 percent.

(2) The premium charged a small employer for new business shall be equal to the sum of the risk adjusted employee risk rates.

(3) The standard employee risk rates applied to a small employer for new business shall be in effect for no less than six months.

(b) (1) The premium for in force business shall be determined for an eligible employee in a particular risk category after applying a risk adjustment factor to the carrier's standard employee risk rates. The risk adjusted employee risk rates may not be more than 120 percent or less than 80 percent of the carrier's applicable standard employee risk rate until July 1, 1996. Effective July 1, 1996, the risk adjusted employee risk rate may not be more than 110 percent or less than 90 percent. The factor effective July 1, 1996, shall apply to in force business at the earlier of either the time of renewal or July 1, 1997. The risk adjustment factor applied to a small employer may not increase by more than 10 percentage points from the risk adjustment factor applied in the prior rating period. The risk adjustment factor for a small employer may not be modified more frequently than every 12 months.

(2) The premium charged a small employer for in force business shall be equal to the sum of the risk adjusted employee risk rates. The standard employee risk rates shall be in effect for no less than six months.

(3) For a benefit plan design that a carrier has discontinued offering, the risk adjustment factor applied to the standard employee risk rates for the first rating period of the new benefit plan design that the small employer elects to purchase shall be no greater than the risk adjustment factor applied in the prior rating period to the discontinued benefit plan design. However, the risk adjusted employee rate may not be more than 120 percent or less than 80 percent of the carrier's applicable standard employee risk rate until July 1, 1996. Effective July 1, 1996, the risk adjusted employee risk rate may not be more than 110 percent or less than 90 percent. The factor effective July 1, 1996, shall apply to in force business at the earlier of either the time of renewal or July 1, 1997. The risk adjustment factor for a small employer may not be modified more frequently than every 12 months.

(c) (1) For any small employer, a carrier may, with the consent of the small employer, establish composite employee and dependent rates for either new business or renewal of in force business. The composite rates shall be determined as the average of the risk adjusted employee risk rates for the small employer, as determined in accordance with the requirements of subdivisions (a) and (b). The sum of the composite rates so determined shall be equal to the sum of the risk adjusted employee risk rates for the small employer.

(2) The composite rates shall be used for all employees and dependents covered throughout a rating period of no less than six months, nor more than 12 months, except that a carrier may reserve the right to redetermine the composite rates if the enrollment under the health benefit plan changes by more than a specified percentage during the rating period. Any redetermination of the composite rates shall be based on the same risk adjusted employee risk rates used to determine the initial composite rates for the rating period. If a carrier reserves the right to redetermine the rates and the enrollment changes more than the specified percentage, the carrier shall redetermine the composite rates if the redetermined rates would result in a lower premium for the small employer. A carrier reserving the right to redetermine the composite rates based upon a change in enrollment shall use the same specified percentage to measure that change with respect to all small employers electing composite rates.

(Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 50, Sec. 2. Effective May 24, 1996.)