(A) A health insuring corporation shall establish and maintain a complaint system that has been approved by the superintendent of insurance to provide adequate and reasonable procedures for the expeditious resolution of written complaints initiated by subscribers or enrollees concerning any matter relating to services provided, directly or indirectly, by the health insuring corporation, including, but not limited to, complaints regarding cancellations or nonrenewals of coverage. Complaints regarding a health insuring corporation's decision to deny, reduce, or terminate coverage for health care services are subject to section 1751.83 of the Revised Code.

(B) A health insuring corporation shall provide a timely written response to each written complaint it receives.

(C)

(1) Copies of complaints and responses, including medical records related to those complaints, shall be available to the superintendent for inspection for three years. Any document or information provided to the superintendent pursuant to this division that contains a medical record is confidential, and is not a public record subject to section 149.43 of the Revised Code.

(2) Notwithstanding division (C)(1) of this section, the superintendent may share documents and information that contain a medical record in connection with the investigation or prosecution of any illegal or criminal activity with the chief deputy rehabilitator, the chief deputy liquidator, other deputy rehabilitators and liquidators, and any other person employed by, or acting on behalf of, the superintendent pursuant to Chapter 3901. or 3903. of the Revised Code, with other local, state, federal, and international regulatory and law enforcement agencies, with local, state, and federal prosecutors, and with the national association of insurance commissioners and its affiliates and subsidiaries, provided that the recipient agrees to maintain the confidential or privileged status of the confidential or privileged document or information and has authority to do so.

(3) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the superintendent from receiving documents and information in accordance with section 3901.045 of the Revised Code.

(4) The superintendent may enter into agreements governing the sharing and use of documents and information consistent with the requirements of this section.

(5) No waiver of any applicable privilege or claim of confidentiality in the documents and information described in division (C)(1) of this section occurs as a result of sharing or receiving documents and information as authorized in divisions (C)(2) and (3) of this section.

(D) A health insuring corporation shall establish and maintain a procedure to accept complaints over the telephone or in person. These complaints are not subject to the reporting requirement under division (C) of section 1751.32 of the Revised Code.

(E) A health insuring corporation may comply with this section and section 1751.83 of the Revised Code by establishing one system for receiving and reviewing complaints and requests for internal review from enrollees and subscribers if the system meets the requirements of both sections.

Amended by 128th General AssemblyFile No.9, HB 1, §101.01, eff. 10/16/2009.

Effective Date: 06-18-2002 .