Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.
(1) "Rural community" means any grouping of consumers, seventy-five percent of whom reside in areas outside of a standard metropolitan statistical area as defined by the United States bureau of census.
(2) "Consumer" means any person enrolled and eligible to receive benefits in the rural health care arrangement.
(3) "Rural health care service arrangement" or "arrangement" means any arrangement which is established or maintained for the purpose of offering or providing through the purchase of insurance or otherwise, medical, surgical, or hospital care or benefits in the event of sickness, accident, or disability in a rural community, as defined in this section, that is subject to the jurisdiction of the insurance commissioner but is not now a currently authorized carrier.
[ 1990 c 271 § 22.]