As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) “Abuse” means the occurrence of one (1) or more of the following acts:

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 56-8-202

  • Abuse: means the occurrence of one (1) or more of the following acts:
    (A) Attempting to cause or intentionally, knowingly or recklessly causing another person, including a minor child, bodily injury, physical harm, severe emotional distress, psychological trauma, rape, sexual assault or involuntary sexual intercourse. See Tennessee Code 56-8-202
  • Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
  • 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
  • Commissioner: means the commissioner of commerce and insurance. See Tennessee Code 56-1-102
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Health benefit plan: includes accident only, credit health, dental, vision, medicare supplement, or long-term care coverage issued as a supplement to liability insurance, automobile medical payment insurance, short-term and catastrophic health insurance policies, and a policy that pays on a cost-incurred basis. See Tennessee Code 56-8-202
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Minor: means any person who has not attained eighteen (18) years of age. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Person: means any association, aggregate of individuals, business, company, corporation, individual, joint-stock company, Lloyds-type organization, organization, partnership, receiver, reciprocal or interinsurance exchange, trustee or society. See Tennessee Code 56-16-102
  • plan: means a policy, contract, certificate or agreement offered by a carrier to provide, deliver, arrange for, pay for or reimburse any of the costs of health care services. See Tennessee Code 56-8-202
  • Policy: means a contract of insurance, certificate, indemnity, suretyship, or annuity issued, proposed for issuance, or intended for issuance by an insurer, including endorsements or riders to an insurance policy or contract. See Tennessee Code 56-8-202
  • Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • sex: means a person's immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth and evidence of a person's biological sex. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Subject of abuse: means a person to whom a family member, or a current or former household member, intimate partner, or caretaker, or a perpetrator of sexual assault, a stalker or a sex offender has directed an act as defined in subdivision (1). See Tennessee Code 56-8-202
(A) Attempting to cause or intentionally, knowingly or recklessly causing another person, including a minor child, bodily injury, physical harm, severe emotional distress, psychological trauma, rape, sexual assault or involuntary sexual intercourse;
(B) Knowingly engaging in a course of conduct or repeatedly committing acts toward another person, including a minor child, including following the person or minor child without proper authority, under circumstances that place the person or minor child in reasonable fear of bodily injury or physical harm;
(C) Subjecting another person, including a minor child, to false imprisonment; or
(D) Attempting to cause or intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causing damage to property so as to intimidate or attempt to control the behavior of another person, including a minor child;
(2) “Abuse-related medical condition” means a medical condition sustained by a subject of abuse that arises in whole or part out of an act or pattern of abuse;
(3) “Abuse status” means the fact or perception that a person is, has been, or may be a subject of abuse, regardless of whether the person has sustained abuse-related medical conditions or has incurred abuse-related claims;
(4) “Health benefit plan” or “plan” means a policy, contract, certificate or agreement offered by a carrier to provide, deliver, arrange for, pay for or reimburse any of the costs of health care services. “Health benefit plan” includes accident only, credit health, dental, vision, medicare supplement, or long-term care coverage issued as a supplement to liability insurance, automobile medical payment insurance, short-term and catastrophic health insurance policies, and a policy that pays on a cost-incurred basis. “Health benefit plan” does not include workers’ compensation or similar insurance;
(5) “Health carrier” means an entity subject to the insurance laws and regulations of this state, or subject to the jurisdiction of the commissioner, that contracts or offers to contract to provide, deliver, arrange for, pay for or reimburse any of the cost of health care services, including a sickness and accident insurance company, a health maintenance organization, a nonprofit hospital and health service corporation, or any other entity providing a plan of health insurance, health benefits or health services;
(6) “Insured” means a party named on a policy, certificate or health benefit plan as the person with legal rights to the benefits provided by the policy, certificate or health benefit plan. For group insurance, “insured” includes a person who is a beneficiary covered by a group policy, certificate, or health benefit plan;
(7) “Policy” means a contract of insurance, certificate, indemnity, suretyship, or annuity issued, proposed for issuance, or intended for issuance by an insurer, including endorsements or riders to an insurance policy or contract;
(8) “Subject of abuse” means a person to whom a family member, or a current or former household member, intimate partner, or caretaker, or a perpetrator of sexual assault, a stalker or a sex offender has directed an act as defined in subdivision (1); who has current or prior injuries, illnesses or disorders that resulted from abuse; or who seeks, may have sought or had reason to seek medical or psychological treatment for abuse, or protection, court-ordered protection or shelter from abuse; and
(9) “Underwrite” means to properly classify individuals who request insurance coverage and includes, but is not limited to, the acts of refusal to insure, refusal to continue to insure, limiting the amount, extent or kind of coverage, or charging a different rate for coverage.
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