(a) Every health care service plan offering plan contracts to individuals shall, in addition to complying with the provisions of this chapter and the rules adopted thereunder, comply with the provisions of this article.
(b) For the purposes of determining eligibility for small employer coverage, a sole proprietor and the sole proprietor’s spouse are not employees with respect to a sole proprietorship that consists only of the sole proprietor and the sole proprietor’s spouse. A partner and a partner’s spouse are not employees of a partnership that consists solely of partners and their spouses. Employer group health care service plans shall not be issued, marketed, or sold to a sole proprietorship or partnership without employees directly or indirectly through any arrangement. Only individual health care service plans shall be sold to any entity without employees.