(a)  No group health care service plan that provides hospital, medical, or surgical expense benefits for employees or subscribers and their dependents shall exclude a dependent child from eligibility or benefits solely because the dependent child does not reside with the employee or subscriber.

(b)  A health care service plan that provides hospital, medical, or surgical expense benefits for employees or subscribers and their dependents shall enroll, upon application by the employer or group administrator, a dependent child of the noncustodial parent when the parent is the employee or subscriber, at any time the noncustodial or custodial parent makes an application for enrollment to the employer or group administrator when a court order for medical support exists. Except as provided in Section 1374.3, the application to the employer or group administrator shall be made within 90 days of the issuance of the court order. In the case of children who are eligible for medicaid, the State Department of Health Services or the district attorney in whose jurisdiction the child resides may make that application.

(c)  This section shall not be construed to require that a health care service plan enroll a dependent who resides outside the plan’s geographic service area, except as provided in Section 1374.3.

(d)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, all health care service plans shall comply with the standards set forth in Section 1374.3.

(Amended by Stats. 1994, Ch. 147, Sec. 9. Effective July 11, 1994.)