Sec 20-2311. Premium rates and rating practices

A. The premium rate that an accountable health plan charges during a rating period for a health benefits plan issued to a small employer shall not vary by more than sixty per cent from the index rate for health benefits plans involving the same or similar coverage, family size and composition, and geographic area.

B. In establishing premium rates for health benefits plans offered to small employers:

1. An accountable health plan making adjustments with respect to demographic characteristics shall apply those adjustments consistently across all small employers.

2. An accountable health plan may not use a geographic area that is smaller than a county or smaller than an area that includes all areas in which the first three digits of the zip code are identical, whichever is smaller.

C. The percentage increase in the premium rate that is charged to a small employer for a new rating period may not exceed the sum of the following:

1. The percentage change in the base premium rate.

2. Fifteen percentage points.

3. Any adjustment due to a change in coverage, family size or composition, geographic area or demographic characteristics.

D. At the time an accountable health plan offers a health benefits plan to a small employer, the accountable health plan shall fully disclose to the employer all of the following:

1. Rating practices for small employer health benefits plans, including rating practices for different populations and benefit designs.

2. The extent to which premium rates for the small employer are established or adjusted based on the actual or expected variation in claims costs or health condition of the employees of the small employer and their dependents.

3. The accountable health plan's right to change premium rates, the extent to which premiums can be modified and the factors that affect changes in premium rates.

E. Each accountable health plan shall file annually with the director a written statement by a member of the American academy of actuaries or another individual acceptable to the director certifying that based on an examination by the individual, including a review of the appropriate records and of the actuarial assumptions of the accountable health plan and methods used by the accountable health plan in establishing base premium rates, index rates and premium rates for small employer health benefits plans:

1. The accountable health plan is in compliance with the applicable provisions of this article.

2. The rating methods are actuarially sound.

F. Each accountable health plan shall retain a copy of the statement required by subsection E for examination at its principal place of business.

G. Each accountable health plan shall annually file with the director for informational purposes the accountable health plan's base premium rates and index rates. On request, the director shall make the base premium rates or the index rates available to the public for inspection.