The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1) "Accounting year" means a twelve-month period determined by the board for purposes of recordkeeping and accounting. The first accounting year may be more or less than twelve months and, from time to time in subsequent years, the board may order an accounting year of other than twelve months as may be required for orderly management and accounting of the pool.

(2) "Administrator" means the entity chosen by the board to administer the pool under RCW 48.41.080.

(3) "Board" means the board of directors of the pool.

(4) "Commissioner" means the insurance commissioner.

(5) "Covered person" means any individual resident of this state who is eligible to receive benefits from any member, or other health plan.

(6) "Health care facility" has the same meaning as in RCW 70.38.025.

(7) "Health care provider" means any physician, facility, or health care professional, who is licensed in Washington state and entitled to reimbursement for health care services.

(8) "Health care services" means services for the purpose of preventing, alleviating, curing, or healing human illness or injury.

(9) "Health carrier" or "carrier" has the same meaning as in RCW 48.43.005.

(10) "Health coverage" means any group or individual disability insurance policy, health care service contract, and health maintenance agreement, except those contracts entered into for the provision of health care services pursuant to Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1395 et seq. The term does not include short-term care, long-term care, dental, vision, accident, fixed indemnity, disability income contracts, limited benefit or credit insurance, coverage issued as a supplement to liability insurance, insurance arising out of the worker's compensation or similar law, automobile medical payment insurance, or insurance under which benefits are payable with or without regard to fault and which is statutorily required to be contained in any liability insurance policy or equivalent self-insurance.

(11) "Health plan" means any arrangement by which persons, including dependents or spouses, covered or making application to be covered under this pool, have access to hospital and medical benefits or reimbursement including any group or individual disability insurance policy; health care service contract; health maintenance agreement; uninsured arrangements of group or group-type contracts including employer self-insured, cost-plus, or other benefit methodologies not involving insurance or not governed by Title 48 RCW; coverage under group-type contracts which are not available to the general public and can be obtained only because of connection with a particular organization or group; and coverage by medicare or other governmental benefits. This term includes coverage through "health coverage" as defined under this section, and specifically excludes those types of programs excluded under the definition of "health coverage" in subsection (10) of this section.

(12) "Medical assistance" means coverage under Title XIX of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C., Sec. 1396 et seq.) and chapter 74.09 RCW.

(13) "Medicare" means coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1395 et seq., as amended).

(14) "Member" means any commercial insurer which provides disability insurance or stop loss insurance, any health care service contractor, any health maintenance organization licensed under Title 48 RCW, and any self-funded multiple employer welfare arrangement as defined in RCW 48.125.010. "Member" also means the Washington state health care authority as issuer of the state uniform medical plan. "Member" shall also mean, as soon as authorized by federal law, employers and other entities, including a self-funding entity and employee welfare benefit plans that provide health plan benefits in this state on or after May 18, 1987. "Member" does not include any insurer, health care service contractor, or health maintenance organization whose products are exclusively dental products or those products excluded from the definition of "health coverage" set forth in subsection (10) of this section.

(15) "Network provider" means a health care provider who has contracted in writing with the pool administrator or a health carrier contracting with the pool administrator to offer pool coverage to accept payment from and to look solely to the pool or health carrier according to the terms of the pool health plans.

(16) "Plan of operation" means the pool, including articles, bylaws, and operating rules, adopted by the board pursuant to RCW 48.41.050.

(17) "Point of service plan" means a benefit plan offered by the pool under which a covered person may elect to receive covered services from network providers, or nonnetwork providers at a reduced rate of benefits.

(18) "Pool" means the Washington state health insurance pool as created in RCW 48.41.040.

Effective date—2004 c 260: See RCW 48.125.901.

Effective date—2001 c 196: See note following RCW 48.20.025.

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

Short title—Part headings and captions not law—Severability—Effective dates—1997 c 231: See notes following RCW 48.43.005.