Section 83-51-1 - DefinitionsAs used in this chapter, the following words have the meanings ascribed herein unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
(a) "Health insurance policy" means any individual, group, blanket or franchise insurance policy, insurance agreement or group hospital service contract which provides benefits for dental care expenses incurred as a result of an accident or sickness.(b) "Employee benefit plan" means any plan, fund or program heretofore or hereafter established or maintained by an employer or by an employee organization, or by both, to the extent that such plan, fund or program was established or is maintained for the purpose of providing for its participants or their beneficiaries, through the purchase of insurance or otherwise, dental care benefits in the event of accident or sickness.(c) "Dental care services" means those general and usual services furnished to any person for the purpose of preventing, alleviating, curing or healing human dental illness or injury as defined in Sections 73-9-1 through 73-9-65, Mississippi Code of 1972.(d) "Dentist" means any person who furnishes dental care services and who is licensed as a dentist by the State of Mississippi.(e) "Dental service contractor" means any person who accepts a prepayment from or for the benefit of any other person or group of persons as consideration for providing to such person or group of persons the opportunity to receive dental services at such times in the future as such services may be appropriate or required, but shall not be construed to include a dentist or professional dental corporation that accepts prepayment on a fee-for-service basis for providing specific dental services to individual patients for whom such services have been prediagnosed. Nothing in this paragraph (e) shall apply to a funded or self-funded trust qualified with the United States Department of Labor in accordance with Public Law 93-406, or the Division of Medicaid or any contractor of the division when providing services to eligible Medicaid beneficiaries.(f) "Participant" means a dentist who has contracted with a dental service contractor to accept from and to look solely to such contractor for payment for any health care services rendered to a subscriber, subject to any co-payment obligations included in the contract of the subscriber with the dental service contractor.(g) "Person" means an individual, insurer, association, organization, partnership, business, trust, except Employee Retirement Income Security Act (E.R.I.S.A.) trusts qualified with the United States Department of Labor under Public Law 93-406, corporation, or other legal entity.(h) "Subscriber" means any person by or for whom a dental service contractor is paid a periodic premium as prepayment for dental services to be rendered to him by a participant.(i) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Insurance of the State of Mississippi.Laws, 1985, ch. 369, § 1, eff. 7/1/1985.Amended by Laws, 2019, ch. 342, HB 752,§ 1, eff. 7/1/2019.