33-22-1513. Operation of association plan and association portability plans. (1) Upon acceptance by the lead carrier under 33-22-1516, an eligible person may enroll in the association plan by payment of the association plan premium to the lead carrier.
     (2) Upon application by a federally defined eligible individual or a TAA-eligible individual to the lead carrier for an association portability plan, the association may not:
     (a) decline to offer an association portability plan; or
     (b) except as provided in subsection (3), impose a preexisting condition exclusion with respect to an individual's association portability plan coverage if application for association portability plan coverage is made within 63 days following termination of the applicant's most recent prior creditable coverage.
     (3) The association may impose a preexisting condition exclusion as provided in 33-22-1516 with respect to a TAA-eligible individual's association portability plan coverage if that individual does not meet the requirements defining a qualified TAA-eligible individual.
     (4) Not less than 88% of the association plan and the association portability plan premiums paid to the lead carrier may be used to pay claims and not more than 12% may be used for payment of the lead carrier's direct and indirect expenses as specified in 33-22-1514.
     (5) Any income in excess of the costs incurred by the association in providing reinsurance or administrative services must be held at interest and used by the association to offset past and future losses because of claims expenses of the association plan and the association portability plan or be allocated to reduce association plan and association portability plan premiums.
     (6) (a) Each participating member of the association shall share the losses because of claims expenses of the association plan and the association portability plan for plans issued or approved for issuance by the association and shall share in the operating and administrative expenses incurred or estimated to be incurred by the association incident to the conduct of its affairs in the following manner:
     (i) Each participating member of the association must be assessed by the association on an annual basis an amount not to exceed 1% of the association member's total disability insurance premium received from or on behalf of Montana residents as determined by the commissioner. Assessments made under this subsection (6)(a) or funds from any other source must be allocated to the association plan and the association portability plan in proportion to the needs of the two plans. If the needs of the association plan and the association portability plan exceed the funds generated by the 1% assessment, the association is then authorized to spend any funds appropriated by the legislature for the support of the plans. Any appropriation to the association may be expended for the operation of the association plan or the association portability plan.
     (ii) (A) Payment of an assessment is due within 30 days of receipt by a member of a written notice of the annual assessment. After 30 days, the association shall charge a member:
     (I) a late payment penalty of 1.5% a month or fraction of a month on the unpaid assessment, not to exceed 18% of the assessment due;
     (II) interest at the rate of 12% a year on the unpaid assessment, to be accrued at 1% a month or fraction of a month; or
     (III) both of the charges in subsections (6)(a)(ii)(A)(I) and (6)(a)(ii)(A)(II).
     (B) Failure by a contributing member to tender the association assessment within the 30-day period is grounds for termination of membership. A member terminated for failure to tender the association assessment is ineligible to write health care benefit policies or contracts in this state under 33-22-1503(2).
     (iii) An association member that ceases to do disability insurance business within the state remains liable for assessments through the calendar year in which the member ceased doing disability insurance business. The association may decline to levy an assessment against an association member if the assessment, as determined pursuant to this section, would not exceed $50.
     (b) For purposes of this subsection (6), "total disability insurance premium" does not include premiums received from disability income insurance, credit disability insurance, disability waiver insurance, life insurance, medicare risk or other similar medicare health maintenance organization payments, or medicaid health maintenance organization payments.
     (c) Any income in excess of the incurred or estimated claims expenses of the association plan and the association portability plan and the operating and administrative expenses of the association must be held at interest and used by the association to offset past and future losses because of claims expenses of the association plan and the association portability plan or be allocated to reduce association plan and association portability plan premiums.
     (7) The proportion of the annual assessment allocated to the operation and expenses of the association plan, not to include any amount of late payment penalty or interest charged, may be offset by an association member against the premium tax payable by that association member pursuant to 33-2-705 for the year in which the annual assessment is levied. The commissioner shall report to the office of budget and program planning, as a part of the information required by 17-7-111, the total amount of premium tax offset claimed by association members during the preceding biennium. The proportion of the annual assessment allocated to the operation and expenses of the association portability plan and levied against an association member may not be offset against the premium tax payable by that association member.
     (8) The association may also accept funding from the federal government, private foundations, and other private funding sources.

     History: En. Sec. 9, Ch. 595, L. 1985; amd. Sec. 31, Ch. 112, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 17, Ch. 798, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 29, Ch. 349, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 19, Ch. 416, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 528, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 367, L. 2001; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 475, L. 2001; amd. Sec. 42, Ch. 380, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 453, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 31, Ch. 469, L. 2005.