(1) CERTIFICATES. (a) General. Except under par. (d), an insurer issuing a group insurance policy other than blanket shall, as soon as practicable after the coverage is effective, provide a certificate for each member of the insured group, except that only one certificate need be provided for the members of a family unit. The certificate shall contain a summary of the essential features of the insurance coverage, including any rights of conversion to an individual policy. Upon receiving a written request therefor, the insurer shall also inform any insured how the insured may inspect a copy of the policy during normal business hours at a place reasonably convenient to the insured. (b) Blanket insurance. The commissioner may by rule impose a similar requirement for any class of blanket insurance policies for which the commissioner finds that the group of persons covered is constant enough for such action to be practicable and not unreasonably expensive. (c) Method of providing certificates. The certificate shall be provided in a manner reasonably calculated to bring it to the attention of the certificate holder. The insurer may deliver or mail it directly to the certificate holder or may deliver or mail the certificates in bulk to the policyholder to transmit to certificate holders, unless the insurer has reason to believe that the policyholder will not promptly transmit the certificates. An affidavit by the insurer that it has mailed the certificates in the usual course of business creates a rebuttable presumption that it has done so. As an alternative to delivering or mailing the certificate, the insurer may make the certificate available electronically through an online internet or policyholder network website. If the insurer makes the certificate available electronically, the insurer shall do all of the following: 1. Request the policyholder to post the information, as well as instructions on how to access the certificate, in the policyholder’s place of business or to publish the information and access instructions in a house organ that is reasonably calculated to bring the information to the attention of the certificate holders. 2. Provide notice to the policyholder of any subsequent change in the certificate and request the policyholder to notify the certificate holders of the change in the manner specified in subd. 1. 3. Provide a paper copy of the certificate to any certificate holder upon request. (d) Substitutes. The commissioner may by rule or order prescribe substitutes for delivery or mailing of certificates, including booklets describing the coverage, the posting of notices in the place of business, or publication in a house organ, if the substitutes are reasonably calculated to inform certificate holders of their rights. (2) EFFECT OF FAILURE TO ISSUE CERTIFICATES. Unless a certificate or an authorized substitute has been made available to the certificate holder as required by this section, no act or omission by the certificate holder after the coverage has become effective as to the certificate holder, other than intentionally causing the loss insured against, affects the insurer’s obligations under the insurance contract.
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