Section 33-20-17. Powers of corporations to contract for provision of health care services; receipt of payments

   (a) Any health care corporation organized or operated under this chapter and engaged in the operation of a health care plan may contract with any agency, instrumentality, or political subdivision of the United States of America or of this state for the furnishing of health care services and in aid or furtherance of said contract, may accept, receive, and administer in trust funds directly or indirectly made available by the agency, instrumentality, or political subdivision and, further, any health care corporation may subcontract with any organization which has contracted with any agency, instrumentality, or political subdivision of the United States of America or of this state for the furnishing of medical, hospital, and other health care services, by which subcontract the health care corporation undertakes to furnish the services required by the basic contract.

(b) A health care corporation may enter into contracts with a corporation or association in this state or elsewhere so that reciprocity of benefits may be provided to subscribers; transfer of subscribers from one corporation to another may be effected to conform to the subscriber's place of residence; uniform benefits may be provided for all or for separate categories of employees and the dependents of such employees of corporations and other organizations transacting business in this state or elsewhere and a composite rate, that is, a rate representing the composite experience of the areas involved, may be charged for such employees and their dependents; or hospital or other health care services may be provided for subscribers of the corporation or other corporations or associations by means of risk sharing and other joint undertakings, including reinsurance, which the directors of the corporation may from time to time approve in accordance with the laws of this state. Group master contracts and the contracts issued to subscribers by a corporation subject to this chapter may specify the circumstances under which payments will be made and the rates of such payment to hospitals or other health care providers, wherever located, with which the corporation has no contract for hospital service or other health care service furnished the subscribers and other beneficiaries under the contract.

(c) Each health care corporation may in its discretion receive and accept from governmental agencies payment covering all or part of the cost to provide health care services for needy or other persons. Each health care corporation may in its discretion receive and accept payments from private agencies, corporations, associations, groups of individuals, or others covering all or part of the cost of subscriptions to provide health care service for needy and other persons.

Code 1933, § 56-1707a, enacted by Ga. L. 1976, p. 1461, § 1; Ga. L. 1982, p. 3, § 33.