(

a) The department shall adopt regulations on or before July 1, 2003, that establish an extended geographic accessibility standard for access to health care providers served by a health care service plan in counties with a population of 500,000 or less, and that, as of January 1, 2002, have two or fewer health care service plans providing coverage to the entire county in the commercial market. (

b) This

section shall not apply to specialized health care service plans or health care service plan contracts that provide benefits to enrollees through any of the following:

(1) Preferred provider contracting arrangements.

(2) The Medi-Cal program.

(3) The Healthy Families program. (c)

(1) At least days before a health care service plan files for modification of its license with the department in order to withdraw from a county with a population of 500,000 or less, or a portion of that county, the health care service plan shall hold a public meeting in the county or portion of the county from which it intends to withdraw, and shall do all of the following: (

A) Provide notice announcing the public meeting at least days prior to the public meeting to all affected enrollees, health care providers, advocates, public officials, and other interested parties. (

B) Provide notice announcing the public meeting at least days prior to the public meeting in a newspaper of general circulation within the affected county or portion of the affected county. (

C) At the public meeting, allow testimony, which may be limited to a certain length of time by the health care service plan, of all interested parties. (

D) Send a

summary of the comments received at the public meeting to the department. (

E) Send a

summary of the comments received at the public meeting to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services if the modification would affect Medicare beneficiaries. (

F) File with the department for review, no less than days prior to the date of mailing or publication, the notices required under subparagraphs (

A) and (B).

(2) A representative of the department shall attend the public meeting.