627.654 Labor union, association, and small employer health alliance groups. - Florida Statutes

627.654 Labor union, association, and small employer health alliance groups.

   (1)(a) A group of individuals may be insured under a policy issued to an association, including a labor union, which association has a constitution and bylaws and not less than 25 individual members and which has been organized and has been maintained in good faith for a period of 1 year for purposes other than that of obtaining insurance, or to the trustees of a fund established by such an association, which association or trustees shall be deemed the policyholder, insuring at least 15 individual members of the association for the benefit of persons other than the officers of the association, the association, or trustees.

   (b) A small employer, as defined in s. 627.6699 and including the employer’s eligible employees and the spouses and dependents of such employees, may be insured under a policy issued to a small employer health alliance by a carrier as defined in s. 627.6699. A small employer health alliance must be organized as a not-for-profit corporation under chapter 617. Notwithstanding any other law, if a small employer member of an alliance loses eligibility to purchase health care through the alliance solely because the business of the small employer member expands to more than 50 and fewer than 75 eligible employees, the small employer member may, at its next renewal date, purchase coverage through the alliance for not more than 1 additional year. A small employer health alliance shall establish conditions of participation in the alliance by a small employer, including, but not limited to:

   1. Assurance that the small employer is not formed for the purpose of securing health benefit coverage.

   2. Assurance that the employees of a small employer have not been added for the purpose of securing health benefit coverage.

   (2) No such policy of insurance as defined in subsection (1) may be issued to any such association or alliance, unless all individual members of such association, or all small employer members of an alliance, or all of any class or classes thereof, are declared eligible and acceptable to the insurer at the time of issuance of the policy.

   (3) Any such policy issued under paragraph (1)(a) may insure the spouse or dependent children with or without the member being insured.

   (4) A single master policy issued to an association, labor union, or small employer health alliance may include more than one health plan from the same insurer or affiliated insurer group as alternatives for an employer, employee, or member to select.

History. s. 587, ch. 59-205; s. 1, ch. 61-368; s. 3, ch. 76-168; s. 1, ch. 77-457; ss. 2, 3, ch. 81-318; ss. 502, 523, 809(2nd), ch. 82-243; s. 79, ch. 82-386; s. 114, ch. 92-318; s. 35, ch. 2000-256; s. 2, ch. 2000-296.