The Florida Senate

408.703  Small employer members of community health purchasing alliances; eligibility requirements.--

(1)  The agency shall establish conditions of participation for small employers, as defined in s. 627.6699, which must include, but need not be limited to:

(a)  Assurance that the group is a valid small employer and is not formed for the purpose of securing health benefit coverage. This assurance must include requirements for sole proprietors and self-employed individuals which must be based on a specified requirement for the time that the sole proprietor or self-employed individual has been in business, required filings to verify employment status, and other requirements to ensure that the individual is working.

(b)  Assurance that the individuals in the small employer group are employees and have not been added for the purpose of securing health benefit coverage.

(2)  The agency may not require a small employer to pay any portion of premiums as a condition of participation in an alliance.

(3)  The agency may require a small employer seeking membership to agree to participate in the alliance for a specified minimum period of time, not to exceed 1 year.

(4)  If a member small employer offers more than one accountable health partnership or health plan and the employer contributes to coverage of employees or dependents of the employee, the alliance shall require that the employer contribute the same dollar amount for each employee, regardless of the accountable health partnership or benefit plan chosen by the employee.

(5)  An employer that employs 30 or fewer employees must offer at least 2 accountable health partnerships or health plans to its employees, and an employer that employs 31 or more employees must offer 3 or more accountable health partnerships or health plans to its employees.

(6)  Notwithstanding any other law, if a small employer member loses eligibility to purchase health care through a community health purchasing alliance solely because the business of the small employer member expands to more than 50 and less 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.

History.--s. 69, ch. 93-129; s. 2, ch. 97-45.