Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 58-50-5

  • Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • in writing: may be construed to include printing, engraving, lithographing, and any other mode of representing words and letters: Provided, that in all cases where a written signature is required by law, the same shall be in a proper handwriting, or in a proper mark. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3

(a) On and after January 1, 1956, each individual or family accident, health, hospitalization policy, certificate or service plan of hospital service corporations shall be issued only on application in writing signed by the insured or the head of the household or guardian. Any application or enrollment form that is taken by a resident insurance producer shall also contain the certificate of the insurance producer that the insurance producer has truly and accurately recorded on the application or enrollment form the information supplied by the insured. Every policy subject to the provisions of this section shall contain the original or a reproduction of the application required by this section. This section shall not apply to travel or dread disease policies or to policies issued pursuant to a group insurance conversion privilege. If any policy to which this section applies delivered or issued for delivery to any person in this State shall be reinstated or renewed, and the insured or the beneficiary or assignee of the policy shall make written request to the insurer for a copy of the application for the reinstatement or renewal, then the insurer shall within 15 days after the receipt of that request at the insurer’s home office or any branch office of the insurer, deliver or mail to the person making the request, a copy of the requested application. If the copy shall not be so delivered or mailed, the insurer shall be precluded from introducing the application as evidence in any action or proceeding based upon or involving the policy or its reinstatement or renewal.

(b) No alteration of any written application for any such policy shall be made by any person other than the applicant without his written consent, except that insertions may be made by the insurer, for administrative purposes only, in such manner as to indicate clearly that such insertions are not to be ascribed to the applicant.

(c) The falsity of any statement in the application for any policy covered by Articles 50 through 55 of this Chapter may not bar the right to recover thereunder unless such false statement materially affected either the acceptance of the risk or the hazard assumed by the insurer. (1913, c. 91, s. 8; C.S., s. 6485; 1953, c. 1095, s. 9; 1955, c. 850, s. 6; 1961, c. 1149; 1985, c. 484, s. 4.2; 1991, c. 720, s. 29; 2021-169, s. 6(a); 2022-46, s. 14(sss).)