Florida Statutes
Part I - Health Maintenance Organizations (Ss. 641.17-641.3923)
641.309 - Standards for marketing to persons eligible for Medicare.

(1) Every health maintenance organization marketing coverage to Medicare participants or persons eligible for Medicare in this state, directly or through its agents, shall:
(a) Establish marketing procedures to assure that any comparison of benefits between Medicare or any other health maintenance organization offering such coverage by its agents will be fair and accurate.
(b) Establish marketing procedures to assure proper notification to the Medicare participant of enrollment or disenrollment from the health maintenance organization. Such notification shall be made in a timely manner.
(c) Display prominently by type, stamp, or other appropriate means, on the first page of the application and contract, the following:
“Notice to buyer: When you enroll in this health maintenance organization, you will be disenrolled from Medicare. The buyer should be aware that in order to receive payment or coverage for services such services must be rendered by physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers designated by the health maintenance organization. If the services are rendered by a nonparticipating physician, hospital, or other health care provider, the purchaser may be liable for payment for such services except in very limited circumstances.”

(d) Inquire and otherwise make every reasonable effort to identify whether a prospective Medicare participant has previously been enrolled in either the same health maintenance organization as a Medicare participant or in another health maintenance organization as a Medicare participant.

(2) In addition to the practices prohibited in s. 641.3903:
(a) No health maintenance organization or person representing such health maintenance organization shall employ any method of marketing having the effect of or tending to induce the purchase of health care plans through fraud, deceit, force, fright, threat whether explicit or implied, intimidation, harassment, or undue pressure to purchase or recommend the purchase of a health maintenance organization contract.
(b) No participating provider, employee, or agent of such participating provider shall be an agent for or conduct any sales activities for a health maintenance organization with whom they have a provider contract.

History.—ss. 120, 188, ch. 91-108; s. 4, ch. 91-429.

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