Sec. 16. Except as provided in sections 17 and 24 of this chapter, no policy of group accident and sickness insurance may be delivered or issued for delivery to a group that has a legal situs in Indiana unless it conforms to one (1) of the following descriptions:

(1) A policy issued to an employer or to the trustees of a fund established by an employer (which employer or trustees must be deemed the policyholder) to insure employees of the employer for the benefit of persons other than the employer, subject to the following requirements:

(A) The employees eligible for insurance under the policy must be all of the employees of the employer, or all of any class or classes of employees. The policy may provide that the term "employees" includes the employees of one (1) or more subsidiary corporations and the employees, individual proprietors, members, and partners of one (1) or more affiliated corporations, proprietorships, limited liability companies, or partnerships if the business of the employer and of the affiliated corporations, proprietorships, limited liability companies, or partnerships is under common control. The policy may provide that the term "employees" includes retired employees, former employees, and directors of a corporate employer. A policy issued to insure the employees of a public body may provide that the term "employees" includes elected or appointed officials.

(B) The premium for the policy must be paid either from the employer's funds, from funds contributed by the insured employees, or from both sources of funds. Except as provided in clause (C), a policy on which no part of the premium is to be derived from funds contributed by the insured employees must insure all eligible employees, except those who reject the coverage in writing.

(C) An insurer may exclude or limit the coverage on any person as to whom evidence of individual insurability is not satisfactory to the insurer.

(2) A policy issued to a creditor or its parent holding company or to a trustee or trustees or agent designated by two (2) or more creditors (which creditor, holding company, affiliate, trustee, trustees, or agent must be deemed the policyholder) to insure debtors of the creditor, or creditors, subject to the following requirements:

(A) The debtors eligible for insurance under the policy must be all of the debtors of the creditor or creditors, or all of any class or classes of debtors. The policy may provide that the term "debtors" includes:

(i) borrowers of money or purchasers or lessees of goods, services, or property for which payment is arranged through a credit transaction;

(ii) the debtors of one (1) or more subsidiary corporations; and

(iii) the debtors of one (1) or more affiliated corporations, proprietorships, limited liability companies, or partnerships if the business of the policyholder and of the affiliated corporations, proprietorships, limited liability companies, or partnerships is under common control.

(B) The premium for the policy must be paid either from the creditor's funds, from charges collected from the insured debtors, or from both sources of funds. Except as provided in clause (C), a policy on which no part of the premium is to be derived from the funds contributed by insured debtors specifically for their insurance must insure all eligible debtors.

(C) An insurer may exclude any debtors as to whom evidence of individual insurability is not satisfactory to the insurer.

(D) The amount of the insurance payable with respect to any indebtedness may not exceed the greater of the scheduled or actual amount of unpaid indebtedness to the creditor. The insurer may exclude any payments that are delinquent on the date the debtor becomes disabled as defined in the policy.

(E) The insurance may be payable to the creditor or any successor to the right, title, and interest of the creditor. Each payment under this clause must reduce or extinguish the unpaid indebtedness of the debtor to the extent of the payment, and any excess of the insurance must be payable to the insured or the estate of the insured.

(F) Notwithstanding clauses (A) through (E), insurance on agricultural credit transaction commitments may be written up to the amount of the loan commitment on a nondecreasing or level term plan, and insurance on educational credit transaction commitments may be written up to the amount of the loan commitment less the amount of any repayments made on the loan.

(3) A policy issued to a labor union or similar employee organization (which must be deemed to be the policyholder) to insure members of the union or organization for the benefit of persons other than the union or organization or any of its officials, representatives, or agents, subject to the following requirements:

(A) The members eligible for insurance under the policy must be all of the members of the union or organization, or all of any class or classes of members.

(B) The premium for the policy must be paid either from funds of the union or organization, from funds contributed by the insured members specifically for their insurance, or from both sources of funds. Except as provided in clause (C), a policy on which no part of the premium is to be derived from funds contributed by the insured members specifically for their insurance must insure all eligible members, except those who reject the coverage in writing.

(C) An insurer may exclude or limit the coverage on any person as to whom evidence of individual insurability is not satisfactory to the insurer.

(4) A policy issued to a trust or to one (1) or more trustees of a fund established or adopted by two (2) or more employers, or by one (1) or more labor unions or similar employee organizations, or by one (1) or more employers and one (1) or more labor unions or similar employee organizations (which trust or trustees must be deemed the policyholder) to insure employees of the employers or members of the unions or organizations for the benefit of persons other than the employers or the unions or organizations, subject to the following requirements:

(A) The persons eligible for insurance must be all of the employees of the employers or all of the members of the unions or organizations, or all of any class or classes of employees or members. The policy may provide that the term "employees" includes the employees of one (1) or more subsidiary corporations and the employees, individual proprietors, and partners of one (1) or more affiliated corporations, proprietorships, limited liability companies, or partnerships if the business of the employer and of the affiliated corporations, proprietorships, limited liability companies, or partnerships is under common control. The policy may provide that the term "employees" includes retired employees, former employees, and directors of a corporate employer. The policy may provide that the term "employees" includes the trustees or their employees, or both, if their duties are principally connected with the trusteeship.

(B) The premium for the policy must be paid from funds contributed by the employer or employers of the insured persons, by the union or unions or similar employee organizations, or by both, or from funds contributed by the insured persons or from both the insured persons and one (1) or more employers, unions, or similar employee organizations. Except as provided in clause (C), a policy on which no part of the premium is to be derived from funds contributed by the insured persons specifically for their insurance must insure all eligible persons, except those who reject the coverage in writing.

(C) An insurer may exclude or limit the coverage on any person as to whom evidence of individual insurability is not satisfactory to the insurer.

(5) A policy issued to an association or to a trust or to one (1) or more trustees of a fund established, created, or maintained for the benefit of members of one (1) or more associations. The association or associations must have at the outset a minimum of one hundred (100) persons, must have been organized and maintained in good faith for purposes other than that of obtaining insurance, must have been in active existence for at least one (1) year, and must have a constitution and bylaws that provide that the association or associations hold regular meetings not less than annually to further purposes of the members, that, except for credit unions, the association or associations collect dues or solicit contributions from members, and that the members have voting privileges and representation on the governing board and committees. The policy must be subject to the following requirements:

(A) The policy may insure members or employees of the association or associations, employees of members, one (1) or more of the preceding, or all of any class or classes of members, employees, or employees of members for the benefit of persons other than the employee's employer.

(B) The premium for the policy must be paid from funds contributed by the association or associations, by employer members, or by both, from funds contributed by the covered persons, or from both the covered persons and the association, associations, or employer members.

(C) Except as provided in clause (D), a policy on which no part of the premium is to be derived from funds contributed by the covered persons specifically for the insurance must insure all eligible persons, except those who reject such coverage in writing.

(D) An insurer may exclude or limit the coverage on any person as to whom evidence of individual insurability is not satisfactory to the insurer.

(6) A policy issued to a credit union, or to one (1) or more trustees or an agent designated by two (2) or more credit unions (which credit union, trustee, trustees, or agent must be deemed the policyholder) to insure members of the credit union or credit unions for the benefit of persons other than the credit union or credit unions, trustee, trustees, or agent, or any of their officials, subject to the following requirements:

(A) The members eligible for insurance must be all of the members of the credit union or credit unions, or all of any class or classes of members.

(B) The premium for the policy shall be paid by the policyholder from the credit union's funds and, except as provided in clause (C), must insure all eligible members.

(C) An insurer may exclude or limit the coverage on any member as to whom evidence of individual insurability is not satisfactory to the insurer.

(7) A policy issued to cover persons in a group specifically described by another law of Indiana as a group that may be covered for group life insurance. The provisions of the group life insurance law relating to eligibility and evidence of insurability apply to a group health policy to which this subdivision applies.

(8) A policy issued to a trustee or agent designated by two (2) or more small employers (as defined in IC 27-8-15-14) as determined by the commissioner under rules adopted under IC 4-22-2.

As added by P.L.257-1985, SEC.2. Amended by P.L.19-1986, SEC.47; P.L.125-1992, SEC.1; P.L.8-1993, SEC.429; P.L.185-1996, SEC.11; P.L.218-2007, SEC.46.