(a) There is created a body corporate and politic to be known as the "Georgia High Risk Health Insurance Plan" which shall be deemed to be an instrumentality of the state and a public corporation. The Georgia High Risk Health Insurance Plan shall have perpetual existence and any change in the name or composition of the plan shall in no way impair the obligations of any contracts existing under this chapter. The Georgia High Risk Health Insurance Plan is assigned to the Department of Insurance for administrative purposes only as prescribed in Code Section 50-4-3.

(b) There is created a board of directors of the Georgia High Risk Health Insurance Plan to be composed of ten members appointed as provided in this subsection and the Commissioner of Insurance, who shall serve as an ex officio member. The Commissioner shall appoint, with the approval of the Governor, one member who shall represent domestic insurers licensed to transact accident and sickness insurance in this state, one member who shall represent a domestic nonprofit health care service plan, and one member who shall be a hospital administrator. The Governor shall appoint two members who shall be consumers, one member who shall represent employers who have more than 25 employees, one member who shall represent employers who have less than 25 employees, one member who shall represent health maintenance organizations, one member who shall be a licensed physician, and one member who shall either be a representative of the Department of Public Health or a representative of a government agency involved directly or indirectly in state-wide health planning. All members of the board shall serve for terms of six years, except the Commissioner whose term shall be concurrent with his term of office as Commissioner. The board shall select one of its members to serve as chairman. The members of the board of directors shall be required to take and subscribe before the Governor an oath to discharge the duties of their office faithfully and impartially. This oath shall be in addition to the oath required of all civil officers. The members of the board of directors shall not be entitled to compensation for their services but shall be entitled to reimbursement for their actual travel and expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties when funds are available for this purpose.

(c) The board of directors shall establish a method of operation for the plan and any amendments thereto necessary or suitable to assure the fair, reasonable, and equitable administration of the plan. The method of operation and any amendments thereto shall be submitted to the Commissioner for his evaluation and he shall make recommendations to the board of directors if he feels revisions are required to assure the fair, reasonable, and equitable administration of the plan. The Commissioner shall, after notice and hearing, approve the method of operation, provided such is determined to be suitable to assure the fair, reasonable, and equitable administration of the plan. The method of operation shall become effective upon approval in writing by the Commissioner consistent with the date on which the coverage under this chapter may be made available. If the plan fails to submit a suitable method of operation within 180 days after the appointment of the board of directors or at any time thereafter fails to submit suitable amendments to the plan, the Commissioner shall, after notice and hearing, adopt and promulgate such reasonable rules as are necessary or advisable to effectuate the provisions of this Code section. Such rules shall continue in force until modified by the Commissioner or superseded by a method of operation submitted by the board and approved by the Commissioner.

(d) In the method of operation the directors shall:

(1) Establish procedures for the handling and accounting of assets and moneys of the plan;

(2) Select an administrator, which shall be an insurer licensed to transact accident and sickness insurance in this state, in accordance with Code Section 33-44-5;

(3) Establish procedures for filling vacancies on the board of directors;

(4) Establish a fixed benefit schedule for the payment of benefits and cost containment features designed to assist in controlling the costs of the plan; and

(5) Develop and implement a program to publicize the existence of the plan, the eligibility requirements, and the procedures for enrollment and to maintain public awareness of the plan.

(e) The plan shall have the general powers and authority granted under the laws of this state to insurance companies licensed to transact accident and sickness insurance as defined under Code Section 33-44-2 and, in addition thereto, the specific authority to:

(1) Enter into contracts as are necessary or proper to carry out the provisions and purposes of this chapter, including the authority to enter into contracts with similar funds or pools of other states for the joint performance of common administrative functions or with persons or other organizations for the performance of administrative functions. The plan shall have the authority to establish reciprocal agreements with similar pools or funds of other states and may agree to waive the residency requirement specified in subsection (a) of Code Section 33-44-4 with respect to persons who become residents of this state and were covered under a similar pool or fund with which the plan had established a reciprocal agreement;

(2) Bring or defend actions;

(3) Take such legal action as necessary to avoid the payment of improper claims against the plan or the coverage provided by or through the plan;

(4) Establish appropriate rates; rate schedules; rate adjustments; expense allowances; agents' referral fees; claim reserve formulas; cost containment features, including, but not limited to, second opinions for surgeries, review and auditing of claims, precertification of hospital admissions and surgeries, and preferred providers; and any other actuarial functions appropriate to the operation of the plan. Rates and rate schedules may be adjusted for appropriate risk factors such as age and area variation in claim cost and shall take into consideration appropriate risk factors in accordance with established actuarial and underwriting practices;

(5) Issue policies or certificates of insurance coverage in accordance with the requirements of this chapter; and

(6) Establish rules, conditions, and procedures for reinsurance of risks of the plan.