Virginia Law

The following words and terms when used in this chapter shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Actuarial value" or "AV" means the anticipated covered medical spending for essential health benefits (EHB) coverage paid by a health plan for a standard population, computed in accordance with the plan's cost-sharing, divided by the total anticipated allowed charges for EHB coverage provided to a standard population, and expressed as a percentage.

"Anticipated loss ratio" means the ratio of the present value of the future benefits to the present value of the future premiums of a policy form over the entire period for which rates are computed to provide coverage.

"Grandfathered plan" means coverage provided by a health carrier in which an individual was enrolled on March 23, 2010, for as long as such plan maintains that status in accordance with federal law.

"Group health insurance coverage" means in connection with a group health plan, health insurance coverage offered in connection with such plan.

"Group health plan" means an employee welfare benefit plan (as defined in § 3(1) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (29 USC § 1002(1)), to the extent that the plan provides medical care and including items and services paid for as medical care to employees or their dependents (as defined under the terms of the plan) directly or through insurance, reimbursement, or otherwise.

"Health benefit plan" means any accident and health insurance policy or certificate, health services plan contract, health maintenance organization subscriber contract, plan provided by a multiple employer welfare arrangement, or plan provided by another benefit arrangement. "Health benefit plan" does not mean accident only, credit, or disability insurance; coverage of Medicare services or federal employee health plans, pursuant to contracts with the United States government; Medicare supplement or long-term care insurance; Medicaid coverage; dental only or vision only insurance; specified disease insurance; hospital confinement indemnity coverage; limited benefit health coverage; coverage issued as a supplement to liability insurance; insurance arising out of a workers' compensation or similar law; automobile medical payment insurance; medical expense and loss of income benefits; or insurance under which benefits are payable with or without regard to fault and that is statutorily required to be contained in any liability insurance policy or equivalent self-insurance.

"Health insurance coverage" means benefits consisting of medical care (provided directly, through insurance or reimbursement, or otherwise and including items and services paid for as medical care) under any hospital or medical service policy or certificate, hospital or medical service plan contract, or health maintenance organization contract offered by an insurer.

"Health maintenance organization" means any person who undertakes to provide or arrange for one or more health care plans as defined in § 38.2-4300 of the Code of Virginia.

"Health system" means an organization that consists of either (i) at least one hospital plus at least one group of physicians or (ii) more than one group of physicians.

"Individual accident and sickness insurance" means insurance against loss resulting from sickness or from bodily injury or death by accident or accidental means or both when sold on an individual rather than group basis.

"Individual health insurance coverage" means health insurance coverage offered to individuals in the individual market, that includes a health benefit plan provided to individuals through a trust arrangement, association, or other discretionary group that is not an employer plan, but does not include coverage defined as "excepted benefits" in § 38.2-3431 of the Code of Virginia or short-term limited duration insurance. Student health insurance coverage shall be considered a type of individual health insurance coverage.

"Individual market" means the market for health insurance coverage offered to individuals other than in connection with a group health plan. Coverage that would be regulated as individual market coverage if it were not sold through an association is individual market coverage.

"Insurer" means a person licensed to issue or that issues any insurance policy in this Commonwealth.

"Medicare supplement policy" means an individual or group accident and sickness insurance policy or certificate, or a health maintenance organization subscription contract or evidence of coverage, designed primarily to supplement Medicare by providing benefits for payment of hospital, medical, or surgical expenses, or is advertised, marketed or otherwise purported to be a supplement to Medicare. For group policies, the term does not include a policy or contract of one or more employers or labor organizations, or of the trustees of a fund established by one or more employers or labor organizations, or a combination of employees and labor organizations, for employees, former employees, or combination of employees and labor organizations or for members or former members, or combination thereof, of the labor organizations.

"Member" means an enrollee, insured, member, subscriber, policyholder, certificate holder, or other individual who is participating in a health benefit plan or covered under accident and sickness insurance.

"Policy" means an insurance policy, form, contract, certificate of insurance, evidence of coverage, subscriber contract, or other similar document. A policy shall include any rider or endorsement affecting benefits attached to the base policy.

"Premium" means all moneys paid by an employer, eligible employee, or member as a condition of coverage from an insurer, including fees and other contributions associated with a health benefit plan.

"Qualified actuary" means a member of the American Academy of Actuaries, or other individual qualified as described in the American Academy of Actuaries' U.S. Qualification Standards and the Code of Professional Conduct to render statements of actuarial opinion in the applicable area of practice.

"Rate" or "premium rate" means any rate of premium, policy fee, membership fee, or any other charge made by an insurer for or in connection with a contract or policy of insurance. "Rate" shall not include a membership fee paid to become a member of an organization or association, one of the benefits of which is the purchase of insurance coverage.

"SERFF" means the National Association of Insurance Commissioner's (NAIC) System for Electronic Rate and Form Filing, or its successor.

"Small employer" has the same meaning as in § 38.2-3431 of the Code of Virginia.

"Small group market" means the health insurance market under which individuals obtain health insurance coverage (directly or through any arrangement) on behalf of themselves (and their dependents) through a group health plan maintained by a small employer. Coverage that would be regulated as small group market coverage if it were not sold through an association is small group market coverage.

"Student health insurance coverage" means a type of individual health insurance coverage offered in the individual market that is provided pursuant to a written agreement between an institution of higher education, as defined by the Higher Education Act of 1965 (Public Law No. 89-329), and a health carrier and provided to students enrolled in that institution of higher education and their dependents, and that does not make health insurance coverage available other than in connection with enrollment as a student or as a dependent of a student in the institution of higher education, and does not condition eligibility for health insurance coverage on any health status-related factor related to a student or a dependent of the student.