Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws > Chapter 27-20.4 - Insurance Continuation Act

• 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.
• Director: means the director of the department of business regulation. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-20.4-3
• 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.
• 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. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-20.4-3
• 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. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-20.4-3

• person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6
• Prior contract: means the group or individual health benefit contract or health benefit plan that previously covered the person. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-20.4-3
• Replacement contract: means a total group health benefit contract that replaces another total group health benefit contract. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-20.4-3
• 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. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-20.4-3
• Total group contract: means a health benefit contract for the coverage of all eligible members of the employer health plan. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-20.4-3