As used in this chapter:

(a) “Benefit plan design” means a specific health coverage policy issued by a carrier to individuals, to trustees of associations that cover individuals. It includes services covered and the levels of copayment and deductibles, and it may include the professional providers who are to provide those services and the sites where those services are to be provided. A benefit plan design may also be an integrated system for the financing and delivery of quality health services that has significant incentives for the covered individuals to use the system.

(b) “Carrier” means any disability insurance company or any other entity that writes, issues, or administers health benefit plans, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 10198.6, that cover individuals, regardless of the situs of the contract or master policyholder.

(c) “Creditable coverage” means:

(1) Any individual or group policy, contract, or program that is written or administered by a disability insurer, health care service plan, fraternal benefits society, self-insured employer plan, or any other entity, in this state or elsewhere, and that arranges or provides medical, hospital, and surgical coverage not designed to supplement other plans. The term includes continuation or conversion coverage but does not include accident only, credit, disability income, Champus supplement, Medicare supplement, long-term care, dental, vision, coverage issued as a supplement to liability insurance, insurance arising out of a workers’ compensation or similar law, automobile medical payment insurance, or insurance under which benefits are payable with or without regard to fault and that is statutorily required to be contained in any liability insurance policy or equivalent self-insurance.

(2) The federal Medicare program pursuant to Title XVIII of the Social Security Act.

(3) The medicaid program pursuant to Title XIX of the Social Security Act.

(4) Any other publicly sponsored program, provided in this state or elsewhere, of medical, hospital, and surgical care.

(5) 10 U.S.C.A. Chapter 55 (commencing with Section 1071) (CHAMPUS).

(6) A medical care program of the Indian Health Service or of a tribal organization.

(7) A state health benefits risk pool.

(8) A health plan offered under 5 U.S.C.A. Chapter 89 (commencing with Section 8901) (FEHBP).

(9) A public health plan as defined in federal regulations authorized by Section 2701(c)(1)(l) of the Public Health Service Act, as amended by Public Law 104-191.

(10) A health benefit plan under Section 5(e) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C.A. 2504(e)).

(d) “Dependent” means the spouse or child of an eligible individual or other individual applying for coverage, subject to applicable terms of the health benefit plan covering the eligible person.

(e) “Federally eligible defined individual” means an individual who as of the date on which the individual seeks coverage under this part, (1) has 18 or more months of creditable coverage, and whose most recent prior creditable coverage was under a group health plan, a federal governmental plan maintained for federal employees, or a governmental plan or church plan as defined in the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. § 1002), (2) is not eligible for coverage under an employer-sponsored health benefit plan, Medicare, or Medi-Cal, and has no other health insurance coverage, (3) was not terminated from his or her most recent creditable coverage due to nonpayment of premiums or fraud, and (4) if offered continuation coverage under COBRA or Cal-COBRA, had elected and exhausted such coverage.

(f) “In force business” means an existing health benefit plan issued by a carrier to a federally eligible defined individual.

(g) “New business” means a health benefit plan issued to an eligible individual that is not the carrier’s in force business.

(h) “Preexisting condition provision” means a policy provision that excludes coverage for charges and expenses incurred during a specified period following the eligible individual’s effective date, as to a condition for which medical advice, diagnosis, care, or treatment was recommended or received during a specified period immediately preceding the effective date of coverage.

(Added by Stats. 2000, Ch. 810, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 2001.)