Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 73.djvu/751

 73

STAT.]

PUBLIC LAW 86-382-SEPT. 28, 1969

(e) No contract shall be made or plan approved which excludes any person because of race, sex, health status, or, at the time of the first opportunity to enroll, because of age. (f) No contract shall be made or plan approved which does not offer to each employee and annuitant whose enrollment in the plan is terminated, other than by a cancellation of enrollment, a temporary extension of coverage during which he may exercise the option to convert, without evidence of good health, to a nongroup contract providing health benefits. An employee or annuitant who exercises this option shall pay the full periodic charges of the nongroup contract, on such terms or conditions as are prescribed by the carrier and approved by the Commission. (g) The benefits and coverage made available pursuant to the provisions of subsection (f) shall, at the option of the employee or annuitant, be noncancelable by the carrier except for fraud, overinsurance, or nonpayment of periodic charges. (h) Rates charged under health benefits plans described in section 4 shall reasonably and equitably reflect the cost of the benefits provided. Rates under health benefits plans described in section 4(1) and (2) shall be determined on a basis which, in the judgment of the Commission, is consistent with the lowest schedule of basic rates generally charged for new group health benefit plans issued to large employers; rates determined for the first contract term shall be continued for subsequent contract terms, except that they may be readjusted for any subsequent term, based on past experience and benefit adjustments under the subsequent contract; any readjustment in rates shall be made in advance of the contract term in which they will apply and on a basis which, in the judgment of the Commission, is consistent with the general practice of carriers which issue group health benefit plans to large employers. CONTKIBUTIONS

SEC. 7. (a)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, the Government contribution for health benefits for employees or annuitants enrolled in health benefits plans under this Act, m addition to the contributions required by paragraph (3), shall be 50 per centum of the lowest rates charged by a carrier for a level of benefits offered by a plan under paragraph (1) oi' paragraph (2) of section 4, but (A) not less than $1.25 or more than $1.75 biweekly for an employee or annuitant who is enrolled for self alone, (B) not less than $3 or more than $4.25 biweekly for an employee or annuitant who is enrolled for self and family (other than as provided in clause (C) of this paragraph), and (C) not less than $1.75 or more than $2.50 biweekly for a female employee or annuitant enrolled for self and family including a nondependent husband. (2) For an employee or annuitant enrolled in a plan described under section 4(3) or (4) for which the biweekly subscription charge is less than $2.50 for an employee or annuitant enrolled for self alone or $6 for an employee or annuitant enrolled for self and family, the contribution of the Government shall be 50 per centum of such subscription charge, except that if a nondependent husband is a member of the family of a female employee or annuitant who is enrolled for herself and family the contribution of the Government shall be 30 per centum of such subscription charge. (3) There shall be withheld from the salary of each enrolled employee and the annuity of each enrolled annuitant, and there shall be contributed by the Government, amounts (in the same ratio as the contributions of such employee or annuitant and the Government

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