Section 1366.29

(a) A health care service plan shall offer an enrollee who has exhausted continuation coverage under COBRA the opportunity to continue coverage for up to 36 months from the date the enrollee’s continuation coverage began, if the enrollee is entitled to less than 36 months of continuation coverage under COBRA. The health care service plan shall offer coverage pursuant to the terms of this article, including the rate limitations contained in Section 1366.26.

(b) Notification of the coverage available under this section shall be included in the notice of the pending termination of COBRA coverage that is required to be provided to COBRA beneficiaries and that is required to be provided under Section 1366.24.

(c) For purposes of this section, “COBRA” means Section 4980B of Title 26 of the United States Code, Sections 1161 et seq. of Title 29 of the United States Code, and Section 300bb of Title 42 of the United States Code.

(d) This section shall not apply to specialized health care service plans providing noncore coverage, as defined in subdivision (g) of Section 1366.21.

(e) This section shall become operative on September 1, 2003, and shall apply to individuals who begin receiving COBRA coverage on or after January 1, 2003.