(a) This section shall apply to a health insurer that covers hospital, medical, or surgical expenses under an individual health benefit plan, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 10198.6, that is issued, amended, renewed, or delivered on or after January 1, 2007.

(b) At least once each year, a health insurer shall permit an individual who has been covered for at least 18 months under an individual health benefit plan to transfer, without medical underwriting, to any other individual health benefit plan offered by that same health insurer that provides equal or lesser benefits as determined by the insurer.

“Without medical underwriting” means that the health insurer shall not decline to offer coverage to, or deny enrollment of, the individual or impose any preexisting condition exclusion on the individual who transfers to another individual health benefit plan pursuant to this section.

(c) The insurer shall establish, for the purposes of subdivision (b), a ranking of the individual health benefit plans it offers to individual purchasers and post the ranking on its Internet Web site or make the ranking available upon request. The insurer shall update the ranking whenever a new benefit design for individual purchasers is approved.

(d) The insurer shall notify in writing all insureds of the right to transfer to another individual health benefit plan pursuant to this section, at a minimum, when the insurer changes the insured’s premium rate. Posting this information on the insurer’s Internet Web site shall not constitute notice for purposes of this subdivision. The notice shall adequately inform insureds of the transfer rights provided under this section including information on the process to obtain details about the individual health benefit plans available to that insured and advising that the insured may be unable to return to his or her current individual health benefit plan if the insured transfers to another individual health benefit plan.

(e) The requirements of this section shall not apply to the following:

(1) A federally eligible defined individual, as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 10900, who purchases individual coverage pursuant to Section 10785.

(2) An individual offered conversion coverage pursuant to Sections 12672 and 12682.1.

(3) An individual enrolled in the Medi-Cal program pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(4) An individual enrolled in the Access for Infants and Mothers Program, pursuant to Part 6.3 (commencing with Section 12695).

(5) An individual enrolled in the Healthy Families Program pursuant to Part 6.2 (commencing with Section 12693).

(f) It is the intent of the Legislature that individuals shall have more choice in their health care coverage when health insurers guarantee the right of an individual to transfer to another product based on the insurer’s own ranking system. The Legislature does not intend for the department to review or verify the insurer’s ranking for actuarial or other purposes.

(g) (1) This section shall become inoperative on January 1, 2014, or the 91st calendar day following the adjournment of the 2013–14 First Extraordinary Session, whichever date is later.

(2) If Section 5000A of the Internal Revenue Code, as added by Section 1501 of PPACA, is repealed or amended to no longer apply to the individual market, as defined in Section 2791 of the federal Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 300gg-4), this section shall become operative 12 months after the date of that repeal or amendment.

(Amended by Stats. 2013, 1st Ex. Sess., Ch. 1, Sec. 3. (AB 2 1x) Effective September 30, 2013. Inoperative, by its own provisions, on January 1, 2014, subject to condition for resuming operation.)