Section 33-21-5. Suspension or revocation of certificate of authority

   (a) The Commissioner of Insurance may suspend or revoke any certificate of authority issued to a health maintenance organization under this chapter if he finds that any of the following conditions exist:

   (1) The health maintenance organization is operating significantly in contravention of its basic organizational document, its health benefits plan, or in a manner contrary to that described in and reasonably inferred from any other information submitted under Code Section 33-21-2, unless amendments to the submissions have been filed with and approved by the Commissioner of Insurance;

   (2) The health maintenance organization issues evidence of coverage or uses a schedule of charges for health care services which do not comply with the requirements of Code Section 33-21-13;

   (3) The health benefits plan does not provide or arrange for basic health care services;

   (4) The health maintenance organization does not meet the requirements of Code Section 33-21-3 or is unable to fulfill its obligations to furnish health care services as required under its health benefits plan;

   (5) The health maintenance organization is no longer financially responsible and may reasonably be expected to be unable to meet its obligations to enrollees or prospective enrollees;

   (6) The health maintenance organization has failed to implement a mechanism affording the enrollees an opportunity to participate in matters of policy and operation under Code Section 33-21-6;

   (7) The health maintenance organization has failed to implement the complaint system required by Code Section 33-21-9 in a manner to resolve valid complaints reasonably;

   (8) The health maintenance organization, or any person on its behalf, has advertised or merchandised its services in an untrue, misrepresentative, misleading, deceptive, or unfair manner;

   (9) The continued operation of the health maintenance organization would be hazardous to its enrollees; or

   (10) The health maintenance organization has violated any provision of this chapter or of the rules and regulations of the Commissioner of Insurance or of the rules and regulations of the commissioner of community health; provided, however, that health maintenance organizations meeting the requirements of subsection (b.1) of Code Section 33-21-3 shall not be subject to the rules and regulations of the commissioner of community health.

(b) The Commissioner of Insurance may, without advance notice or a hearing thereon, suspend immediately the certificate of authority of any health maintenance organization as to which proceedings for receivership, conservatorship, rehabilitation, or other delinquency proceedings have been commenced in any state.

(c) When the certificate of authority of a health maintenance organization is suspended, the health maintenance organization shall not, during the period of the suspension, enroll any additional enrollees except newborn children or other newly acquired dependents of existing enrollees and shall not engage in any advertising or solicitation whatsoever.

(d) When the certificate of authority of a health maintenance organization is revoked, such organization shall proceed, immediately following the effective date of the order of revocation, to wind up its affairs and shall conduct no further business except as may be essential to the orderly conclusion of the affairs of such organization. It shall engage in no further advertising or solicitation whatsoever. The Commissioner of Insurance may, by written order, permit such further operation of the organization as he may find to be in the best interest of enrollees, to the end that enrollees will be afforded the greatest practical opportunity to obtain continuing health care coverage.

Code 1933, § 56-3617, enacted by Ga. L. 1979, p. 1148, § 1; Ga. L. 1982, p. 3, § 33; Ga. L. 1992, p. 6, § 33; Ga. L. 2004, p. 493, § 2; Ga. L. 2009, p. 453, § 1-6/HB 228.