(1) Upon the petition of 4 or more authorized group self-insurers, the Superintendent of Insurance may approve an account for the deposit of funds in lieu of reinsurance.

(2) The account must indemnify its participating group self-insurer members for claims incurred during the account's operation. The purpose of the account is to accumulate funds to provide coverage against losses arising out of one occurrence in excess of $500,000 or such other amounts as may be permitted or required for particular members consistent with the plan of operation established pursuant to paragraph B.

(3) A group self-insurer is deemed to be a member of the account for reinsurance coverage for purposes of a claim if the group self-insurer is a member of the account when an injury occurs or a covered occupational disease loss is incurred.

(4) A group self-insurer that reinsures through an account shall continue to make payments into that account in accordance with the plan of operation established pursuant to paragraph B.

(5) A group self-insurer's participation in an account is considered as a component of the group self-insurer's renewal application. A group self-insurer's membership in an account is considered adequate protection against losses arising out of a single occurrence unless the Superintendent of Insurance determines, after considering the financial condition and catastrophic loss exposure of both the group self-insurer and the account, that it is necessary to maintain additional reinsurance protection, maintain a lower self-insured retention level or provide some other form of additional security, singly or in combination.

(1) Each participating group self-insurer in an account has a contingent assessment liability in accordance with the plan of operation established pursuant to paragraph B for payment of claims and expenses incurred while a member of the account and must execute an agreement acknowledging that it is responsible for the prompt payment of all assessments necessary to ensure that the account is fully funded and that, if any participant in the account fails to pay an assessment when due for any reason, the remaining participants are liable for the shortfall.

(2) Each contract or other document certifying participation in the account, issued by the account, must contain a statement of the contingent liability of participating group self-insurers.

(1) Any out-of-state self-insurer that participates in the account may do so only through participation in a protected cell. An employer or group authorized by the Superintendent of Insurance to self-insure its Maine liabilities pursuant to this section is considered an out-of-state insurer to the extent that it is reinsuring out-of-state liabilities beyond the scope of its Maine self-insurance plan.

(2) The establishment of protected cells under this paragraph is a pilot project, limited to at most 2 protected cells, and approval of a protected cell or of a group self-insurer to participate in a protected cell is at the discretion of the Superintendent of Insurance. The Superintendent of Insurance may adopt rules pursuant to paragraph J to establish the terms and conditions of the pilot project, including criteria for the minimum and maximum size of a protected cell.

(3) A separate account must be established for each protected cell. All contributions from participants in a protected cell must be deposited into the protected cell account. Funds in a protected cell account may be used only for the payment of claims and expenses associated with that protected cell, which may include a reasonable administrative fee paid periodically into the general account. Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection, participants in a protected cell are not liable for claims or expenses of any other protected cell or of the general account, and the general account is not liable for the claims of any protected cell or any expenses associated with such claims or otherwise specifically attributable to the protected cell.

(4) The minimum funding level for any protected cell may not be lower than the minimum funding level, calculated in accordance with the plan of operation and subject to paragraph E, that would apply to the general account with the same loss exposure and duration of operation. If the protected cell account falls short of the minimum funding level at any time, the reinsurance account must assess all protected cell participants. If a participating group self-insurer fails to pay any assessment in full when due, the reinsurance account must assess the group's member employers. All assessments are enforceable by the Superintendent of Insurance through an adjudicatory proceeding under the Maine Administrative Procedure Act or through an action in the Superior Court.

(5) Each protected cell must have its own board of directors, at least 2/3 of whom must be chosen by the protected cell's participants. The plan of operation shall provide for a reasonable allocation of authority between the reinsurance account's board of directors and the protected cell's board of directors.

(6) No later than April 1st of each year, each reinsurance account with one or more protected cells must pay a regulatory assessment to the Bureau of Insurance from each protected cell account in the amount of 11/100 of 1% of the total standard reinsurance premium for the preceding calendar year for all participants in the protected cell for the level of coverage provided by the reinsurance account.

(7) All groups participating in a protected cell must provide the reinsurance account and the Superintendent of Insurance with financial and actuarial information sufficient to evaluate loss exposure and financial condition. All information provided to the superintendent by protected cell participants and their member employers is confidential pursuant to subsection 15. All protected cell participants and their member employers must authorize their domiciliary regulator to provide any information requested by the superintendent, which is confidential to the extent provided in Title 24-A, section 216, subsection 5.

(8) In evaluating the risk exposure of an out-of-state group self-insurer and in determining whether groups from different states may participate in the same protected cell, the reinsurance account and the Superintendent of Insurance shall consider any relevant differences in the states' regulatory frameworks for group self-insurance and in their workers' compensation benefit laws.

(9) A group self-insurer may not become a participant in a protected cell unless the group and all of its member employers have provided written acknowledgments to the Superintendent of Insurance that they are jointly and severally liable for the obligations of the protected cell and are subject to the jurisdiction of the superintendent and courts of the State for the enforcement of those obligations.

(10) Any disputes between self-insured members, the self-insurance reinsurance account and any protected cell, including but not limited to any dispute arising out of or relating to any enforcement order or mechanism imposed by the Superintendent of Insurance, must be resolved in this State and pursuant to the laws of this State.