As used in this chapter, the following terms have the following meaning:

(1)  “Director” means the director of the department of business regulation;

(2)  “Individual contract” means any health benefit contract that is not a group contract;

(3)  “Insurer” means every medical service corporation, hospital service corporation, health maintenance organization licensed under chapter 41 of this title or as defined in § 42-62-4, or insurance company offering and/or insuring health services;

(4)  “Late enrollee” means a person who requests enrollment in a group plan following the initial enrollment period provided under the terms of the plan, except that a person is not a late enrollee if:

(i)  The request for enrollment is made within thirty (30) days after the termination of coverage under a prior contract or policy and the individual did not request coverage initially under the succeeding contract because that individual was covered under a prior contract and coverage under that contract ceased due to termination of employment, death of a spouse, or divorce; or

(ii)  A court has ordered that coverage be provided for a spouse or minor child under a covered employee’s plan and the request for coverage is made within thirty (30) days after issuance of the court order;

(5)  “Prior contract” means the group or individual health benefit contract or health benefit plan that previously covered the person;

(6)  “Replacement contract” means a total group health benefit contract which replaces another total group health benefit contract;

(7)  “Succeeding contract” means the group health benefit contract under which the person is seeking coverage or a different health benefit plan under the same group health benefit contract; and

(8)  “Total group contract” means a health benefit contract for the coverage of all eligible members of the employer health plan.

History of Section.
P.L. 1991, ch. 321, § 1; P.L. 1992, ch. 387, § 1.