ASSESSMENTS.

(a) To provide funds for the administrative expenses of the commissioner regarding rehabilitation, liquidation, supervision, conservatorship, or seizure of a health maintenance organization in this state that is placed under supervision or in conservatorship under Chapter 441 or against which a delinquency proceeding is commenced under Chapter 443 and that is found by the commissioner to have insufficient funds to pay the total amount of health care claims and the administrative expenses incurred by the commissioner regarding the rehabilitation, liquidation, supervision, conservatorship, or seizure, the commissioner shall assess each health maintenance organization in the proportion that the gross premiums of the health maintenance organization that were written in this state during the preceding calendar year bear to the aggregate gross premiums that were written in this state by all health maintenance organizations, as found after review of annual statements and other reports the commissioner considers necessary.

(b) The commissioner may abate or defer an assessment in whole or in part if, in the opinion of the commissioner, payment of the assessment would endanger the ability of a health maintenance organization to fulfill its contractual obligations. If an assessment is abated or deferred in whole or in part, the amount of the abatement or deferral may be assessed against the remaining health maintenance organizations in a manner consistent with the calculations made by the commissioner under Subsection (a).

(c) The total of all assessments on a health maintenance organization may not exceed one-fourth of one percent of the health maintenance organization's gross premiums in any one calendar year.

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, funds derived from an assessment made under this section may not be used for more than 180 consecutive days for the expenses of administering the affairs of a health maintenance organization the surplus of which is impaired and that is in supervision or conservatorship. The commissioner may extend the period during which the commissioner makes assessments for the administrative expenses.