Revised Code of Washington - RCW Title 70 Public Health And Safety - Section 70.47.020 Definitions

§ 70.47.020. Definitions

As used in this chapter:

(1) "Washington basic health plan" or "plan" means the system of enrollment and payment for basic health care services, administered by the plan administrator through participating managed health care systems, created by this chapter.

(2) "Administrator" means the Washington basic health plan administrator, who also holds the position of administrator of the Washington state health care authority.

(3) "Health coverage tax credit program" means the program created by the Trade Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-210) that provides a federal tax credit that subsidizes private health insurance coverage for displaced workers certified to receive certain trade adjustment assistance benefits and for individuals receiving benefits from the pension benefit guaranty corporation.

(4) "Health coverage tax credit eligible enrollee" means individual workers and their qualified family members who lose their jobs due to the effects of international trade and are eligible for certain trade adjustment assistance benefits; or are eligible for benefits under the alternative trade adjustment assistance program; or are people who receive benefits from the pension benefit guaranty corporation and are at least fifty-five years old.

(5) "Managed health care system" means: (a) Any health care organization, including health care providers, insurers, health care service contractors, health maintenance organizations, or any combination thereof, that provides directly or by contract basic health care services, as defined by the administrator and rendered by duly licensed providers, to a defined patient population enrolled in the plan and in the managed health care system; or (b) a self-funded or self-insured method of providing insurance coverage to subsidized enrollees provided under RCW 41.05.140 and subject to the limitations under RCW 70.47.100(7).

(6) "Subsidized enrollee" means:

(a) An individual, or an individual plus the individual's spouse or dependent children:

(i) Who is not eligible for medicare;

(ii) Who is not confined or residing in a government-operated institution, unless he or she meets eligibility criteria adopted by the administrator;

(iii) Who is not a full-time student who has received a temporary visa to study in the United States;

(iv) Who resides in an area of the state served by a managed health care system participating in the plan;

(v) Whose gross family income at the time of enrollment does not exceed two hundred percent of the federal poverty level as adjusted for family size and determined annually by the federal department of health and human services; and

(vi) Who chooses to obtain basic health care coverage from a particular managed health care system in return for periodic payments to the plan;

(b) An individual who meets the requirements in (a)(i) through (iv) and (vi) of this subsection and who is a foster parent licensed under chapter 74.15 RCW and whose gross family income at the time of enrollment does not exceed three hundred percent of the federal poverty level as adjusted for family size and determined annually by the federal department of health and human services; and

(c) To the extent that state funds are specifically appropriated for this purpose, with a corresponding federal match, an individual, or an individual's spouse or dependent children, who meets the requirements in (a)(i) through (iv) and (vi) of this subsection and whose gross family income at the time of enrollment is more than two hundred percent, but less than two hundred fifty-one percent, of the federal poverty level as adjusted for family size and determined annually by the federal department of health and human services.

(7) "Nonsubsidized enrollee" means an individual, or an individual plus the individual's spouse or dependent children: (a) Who is not eligible for medicare; (b) who is not confined or residing in a government-operated institution, unless he or she meets eligibility criteria adopted by the administrator; (c) who is accepted for enrollment by the administrator as provided in RCW 48.43.018, either because the potential enrollee cannot be required to complete the standard health questionnaire under RCW 48.43.018, or, based upon the results of the standard health questionnaire, the potential enrollee would not qualify for coverage under the Washington state health insurance pool; (d) who resides in an area of the state served by a managed health care system participating in the plan; (e) who chooses to obtain basic health care coverage from a particular managed health care system; and (f) who pays or on whose behalf is paid the full costs for participation in the plan, without any subsidy from the plan.

(8) "Subsidy" means the difference between the amount of periodic payment the administrator makes to a managed health care system on behalf of a subsidized enrollee plus the administrative cost to the plan of providing the plan to that subsidized enrollee, and the amount determined to be the subsidized enrollee's responsibility under RCW 70.47.060(2).

(9) "Premium" means a periodic payment, which an individual, their employer or another financial sponsor makes to the plan as consideration for enrollment in the plan as a subsidized enrollee, a nonsubsidized enrollee, or a health coverage tax credit eligible enrollee.

(10) "Rate" means the amount, negotiated by the administrator with and paid to a participating managed health care system, that is based upon the enrollment of subsidized, nonsubsidized, and health coverage tax credit eligible enrollees in the plan and in that system.

[2007 c 259 § 35; 2005 c 188 § 2; 2004 c 192 § 1; 2000 c 79 § 43; 1997 c 335 § 1; 1997 c 245 § 5. Prior: 1995 c 266 § 2; 1995 c 2 § 3; 1994 c 309 § 4; 1993 c 492 § 209; 1987 1st ex.s. c 5 § 4.]

Notes:
     Severability -- Subheadings not law -- 2007 c 259: See notes following RCW 41.05.033.

     Findings -- 2005 c 188: "The legislature finds that the basic health plan is a valuable means of providing access to affordable health insurance coverage for low-income families and individuals in Washington state. The legislature further finds that persons studying in the United States as full-time students under temporary visas must show, as a condition of receiving their temporary visa, that they have sufficient funds available for self-support during their entire proposed course of study. For this reason, the legislature finds that it is not appropriate to provide subsidized basic health plan coverage to this group of students." [2005 c 188 § 1.]

     Effective date -- 2004 c 192: "This act takes effect January 1, 2005." [2004 c 192 § 6.]

     Effective date -- Severability -- 2000 c 79: See notes following RCW 48.04.010.

     Effective date -- 1995 c 266: See note following RCW 70.47.060.

     Effective date -- 1995 c 2: See note following RCW 43.72.090.

     Findings--Intent -- 1993 c 492: See notes following RCW 43.20.050.

     Short title -- Severability -- Savings -- Captions not law -- Reservation of legislative power -- Effective dates -- 1993 c 492: See RCW 43.72.910 through 43.72.915.

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Last modified: April 7, 2009