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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>72005</law_id><section_number>38.2-4300</section_number><catch_line>Definitions</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>32.1-137.1</reference><reference>32.1-276.3</reference><reference>32.1-373</reference><reference>38.2-100</reference><reference>38.2-1016.1</reference><reference>38.2-1401</reference><reference>38.2-1837</reference><reference>38.2-2201</reference><reference>38.2-3407.12</reference><reference>38.2-3407.4:2</reference><reference>38.2-3407.6</reference><reference>38.2-3438</reference><reference>38.2-3551</reference><reference>38.2-501</reference><reference>38.2-5500</reference><reference>38.2-5501</reference><reference>38.2-5800</reference><reference>38.2-5802</reference><reference>38.2-6100</reference><reference>54.1-2404</reference><reference>8.01-27.5</reference><reference>8.01-581.1</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="38.2">Insurance</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="43">Health Maintenance Organizations</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>As used in this chapter:
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Acceptable securities</span>&#x201D; means securities that (i) are legal investments under the <span class="dictionary">laws</span> of the Commonwealth for public sinking funds or for other public funds, (ii) are not in <span class="dictionary">default</span> as to principal or interest, (iii) have a current market value of not less than $50,000 nor more than $500,000, and (iv) are issued pursuant to a system of book-entry evidencing ownership interests of the securities with transfers of ownership effected on the records of the depository and its participants pursuant to rules and procedures established by the depository.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Basic <span class="dictionary">health care services</span></span>&#x201D; means in and out-of-area <span class="dictionary">emergency services</span>, inpatient hospital and physician care, outpatient medical services, laboratory and radiologic services, mental health and substance use disorder benefits, and preventive health services. In the case of a <span class="dictionary">health maintenance organization</span> that has contracted with the Commonwealth to furnish basic health services to recipients of medical assistance under Title XIX of the United <span class="dictionary">States</span> Social Security Act pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Authority of Commonwealth to contract with health maintenance organizations" href="/38.2-4320/">38.2-4320</a>, the basic health services to be provided by the <span class="dictionary">health maintenance organization</span> to program recipients may differ from the basic health services required by this section to the extent necessary to meet the benefit standards prescribed by the <span class="dictionary">state</span> plan for medical assistance services authorized pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Board to submit plan for medical assistance services to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services pursuant to federal law; administration of plan; contracts with health care providers" href="/32.1-325/">32.1-325</a>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Copayment</span>&#x201D; means an amount an <span class="dictionary">enrollee</span> is required to pay in <span class="dictionary">order</span> to receive a specific health care service.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Deductible</span>&#x201D; means an amount an <span class="dictionary">enrollee</span> is required to pay out-of-pocket before the <span class="dictionary">health care plan</span> begins to pay the costs associated with <span class="dictionary">health care services</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Emergency services</span>&#x201D; means those <span class="dictionary">health care services</span> that are rendered by affiliated or nonaffiliated providers after the sudden onset of a medical condition that manifests itself by symptoms of sufficient severity, including severe pain, that the absence of immediate medical attention could reasonably be expected by a prudent layperson who possesses an average knowledge of health and medicine to result in (i) serious jeopardy to the mental or physical health of the individual, (ii) danger of serious impairment of the individual&#x2019;s bodily functions, (iii) serious dysfunction of any of the individual&#x2019;s bodily organs, or (iv) in the case of a pregnant woman, serious jeopardy to the health of the fetus. <span class="dictionary">Emergency services</span> provided within the plan&#x2019;s service area shall include covered <span class="dictionary">health care services</span> from nonaffiliated providers only when delay in receiving care from a provider affiliated with the <span class="dictionary">health maintenance organization</span> could reasonably be expected to cause the <span class="dictionary">enrollee</span>&#x2019;s condition to worsen if left unattended.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Enrollee</span>&#x201D; or &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">member</span>&#x201D; means an individual who is enrolled in a <span class="dictionary">health care plan</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Evidence of coverage</span>&#x201D; means any certificate or individual or group agreement or <span class="dictionary">contract</span> issued in conjunction with the certificate, agreement or <span class="dictionary">contract</span>, issued to a <span class="dictionary">subscriber</span> setting out the coverage and other rights to which an <span class="dictionary">enrollee</span> is entitled.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Excess insurance</span>&#x201D; or &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">stop loss insurance</span>&#x201D; means insurance issued to a <span class="dictionary">health maintenance organization</span> by an <span class="dictionary">insurer</span> licensed in the Commonwealth, on a form approved by the <span class="dictionary">Commission</span>, or a risk assumption transaction acceptable to the <span class="dictionary">Commission</span>, providing indemnity or reimbursement against the cost of <span class="dictionary">health care services</span> provided by the <span class="dictionary">health maintenance organization</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Health care plan</span>&#x201D; means any arrangement in which any <span class="dictionary">person</span> undertakes to provide, arrange for, pay for, or reimburse any part of the cost of any <span class="dictionary">health care services</span>. A significant part of the arrangement shall consist of arranging for or providing <span class="dictionary">health care services</span>, including <span class="dictionary">emergency services</span> and services rendered by <span class="dictionary">nonparticipating referral providers</span>, as distinguished from mere indemnification against the cost of the services, on a prepaid basis. For purposes of this section, a significant part shall mean at least 90 percent of total costs of <span class="dictionary">health care services</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Health care services</span>&#x201D; means the furnishing of services to any individual for the purpose of preventing, alleviating, curing, or healing human illness, injury, or physical disability.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Health maintenance organization</span>&#x201D; means any <span class="dictionary">person</span> who undertakes to provide or arrange for one or more <span class="dictionary">health care plans</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Limited <span class="dictionary">health care services</span></span>&#x201D; means dental care services, vision care services, and such other services as may be determined by the <span class="dictionary">Commission</span> to be <span class="dictionary">limited <span class="dictionary">health care services</span></span>. <span class="dictionary">Limited <span class="dictionary">health care services</span></span> shall not include hospital, medical, surgical, or <span class="dictionary">emergency services</span> except as such services are provided incident to the <span class="dictionary">limited <span class="dictionary">health care services</span></span> set forth in the preceding sentence.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Net worth</span>&#x201D; or &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">capital and surplus</span>&#x201D; means the excess of total admitted <span class="dictionary">assets</span> over the total liabilities of the <span class="dictionary">health maintenance organization</span>, provided that surplus notes shall be reported and accounted for in accordance with guidance set forth in the National Association of Insurance <span class="dictionary">Commissioners</span> (NAIC) accounting practice and procedures manuals.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Nonparticipating referral provider</span>&#x201D; means a provider who is not a <span class="dictionary">participating provider</span> but with whom a <span class="dictionary">health maintenance organization</span> has arranged, through referral by its <span class="dictionary">participating providers</span>, to provide <span class="dictionary">health care services</span> to <span class="dictionary">enrollees</span>. Payment or reimbursement by a <span class="dictionary">health maintenance organization</span> for <span class="dictionary">health care services</span> provided by <span class="dictionary">nonparticipating referral providers</span> may exceed five percent of total costs of <span class="dictionary">health care services</span>, only to the extent that any such excess payment or reimbursement over five percent shall be combined with the costs for services which represent mere indemnification, with the combined amount subject to the combination of limitations set forth in this definition and in this section&#x2019;s definition of <span class="dictionary">health care plan</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Participating provider</span>&#x201D; means a provider who has agreed to provide <span class="dictionary">health care services</span> to <span class="dictionary">enrollees</span> and to hold those <span class="dictionary">enrollees</span> harmless from payment with an expectation of receiving payment, other than <span class="dictionary">copayments</span> or <span class="dictionary">deductibles</span>, directly or indirectly from the <span class="dictionary">health maintenance organization</span>.
		&#x201C;Provider&#x201D; or &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">health care provider</span>&#x201D; means any physician, hospital, or other <span class="dictionary">person</span> that is licensed or otherwise authorized in the Commonwealth to furnish <span class="dictionary">health care services</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Subscriber</span>&#x201D; means a <span class="dictionary">contract</span> holder, an individual <span class="dictionary">enrollee</span>, or the <span class="dictionary">enrollee</span> in an enrolled family who is responsible for payment to the <span class="dictionary">health maintenance organization</span> or on whose behalf such payment is made.</p></section></text><history>1980, c. 720, &#xA7; 38.1-863; 1986, cc. 76, 528, 562; 1990, c. 224; 1992, cc. 241, 481; 1993, c. 305; 1995, cc. 182, 345; 2000, c. 503; 2003, cc. 752, 767; 2004, c. 175; 2006, c. 448; 2015, c. 649.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
