§ 6325. Income status; effect.

(a) Income standards.--

(1) Every professional health service corporation shall from time to time, by action of its members, fix the requisites for persons of low income eligible for the benefits of and under this chapter, such requisites to afford due consideration to the marital status and to the number of dependents of the persons involved and such requisites to be consistent with the declaration contained in section 6303(a) of this title (relating to declaration of necessity). Any requisites thus fixed shall be subject to the approval of the department.

(2) All persons not meeting the requisites for persons of low income as thus fixed shall be persons of over-income.

(b) Determination of status.--

(1) The professional health service corporation shall determine whether an applicant for subscription is in receipt of a low income or over-income within the meaning of this chapter and after the application has been approved, the subscriber shall be deemed to be of low income or over-income until his status has been redetermined by the corporation, which redetermination may be made at any time.

(2) The professional health service corporation, in determining the income status of any applicant or subscriber, may, through its officers and agents, examine under oath any applicant or subscriber claiming a low income status and any other person consenting thereto who is believed to have material knowledge concerning the income status of the applicant or subscriber. The determination of the corporation shall be final.

(c) Effect of status.--Every person of low income and every person of over-income, residing in the area served by a professional health service corporation, shall be entitled, upon complying with regulations adopted by that corporation and the payment of such initiation and other fees as are authorized by the department, to the services of any health service doctor registered with the corporation, under such terms and conditions as are customary in professional health services in the community, but only within the limits of services for which such health service doctors are registered. A professional health service corporation may for cause refuse to enter into contractual relations with an applicant and may, for cause, after due notice and opportunity for hearing, rescind any contract that it has entered into with any subscriber and refund any unearned portion of any fees paid and may, on default in payment of the agreed dues, fees, payments or any charges by subscriber or someone on his behalf, discontinue coverage without notice and opportunity for hearing, after having notified a subscriber of his default, and having allowed him two days to procure such coverages. Any payment made by the corporation to health service doctors for services rendered to subscribers of over-income shall be a payment only to the extent agreed upon between the corporation and the health service doctors on account of any greater sum which may be due the health service doctors for rendering such services.

(d) Prohibited contracts.--No contract by or on behalf of any professional health service corporation shall provide for any periodic payment or any other payment by that corporation to a subscriber which is not related to the value of the service provided to such subscriber on account of illness or injury, nor be in any way related to the payment of any such benefit by any other entity.

Cross References. Section 6325 is referred to in section 6302 of this title.