For purposes of this Act:
     “Actuarial certification” means a written statement by a member of the American Academy of Actuaries or other individual acceptable to the Director that a small employer carrier is in compliance with the provisions of Section 25 of this Act, based upon an examination which includes a review of the appropriate records and of the actuarial assumptions and methods utilized by the small employer carrier in establishing premium rates for the applicable health benefit plans.
     “Base premium rate” means for each class of business as to a rating period, the lowest premium rate charged or which could be charged under a rating system for that class of business by the small employer carrier to small employers with similar case characteristics for health benefit plans with the same or similar coverage.
     “Carrier” means any entity which provides health insurance in this State. For the purposes of this Act, carrier includes a licensed insurance company, a prepaid hospital or medical service plan, a health maintenance organization, or any other entity providing a plan of health insurance or health benefits subject to state insurance regulation.
     “Case characteristics” means demographic, geographic or other objective characteristics of a small employer, that are considered by the small employer carrier, in the determination of premium rates for the small employer. Claim experience, health status, and duration of coverage shall not be characteristics for the purposes of the Small Employer Health Insurance Rating Act.
     “Class of business” means all or a separate grouping of small employers established pursuant to Section 20.
     “Director” means the Director of Insurance.
     “Department” means the Department of Insurance.
     “Health benefit plan” or “plan” shall mean any hospital or medical expense-incurred policy, hospital or medical service plan contract, or health maintenance organization subscriber contract. Health benefit plan shall not include individual, accident-only, credit, dental, vision, medicare supplement, hospital indemnity, long term care, specific disease, stop loss or disability income insurance, coverage issued as a supplement to liability insurance, workers’ compensation or similar insurance, or automobile medical payment insurance.
     “Index rate” means, for each class of business as to a rating period for small employers with similar case characteristics, the arithmetic mean of the applicable base premium rate and the corresponding highest premium rate.
     “Late enrollee” has the meaning given that term in the Illinois Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
     “New business premium rate” means, for each class of business as to a rating period, the lowest premium rate charged or offered or which could have been charged or offered by the small employer carrier to small employers with similar case characteristics for newly issued health benefit plans with the same or similar coverage.
     “Objective characteristics” means measurable or observable phenomena. An example of a measurable characteristic would be the number of employees who were late enrollees. Examples of observable characteristics would be geographic location of the employer or gender of the employee.
     “Premium” means all monies paid by a small employer and eligible employees as a condition of receiving coverage from a small employer carrier, including any fees or other contributions associated with the health benefit plan.
     “Rating period” means the calendar period for which premium rates established by a small employer carrier are assumed to be in effect.
     “Small employer” has the meaning given that term in the Illinois Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
     “Small employer carrier” means a carrier that offers health benefit plans covering employees of one or more small employers in this State.