185.96(1)
(1) After June 30, 1956, this chapter applies to all cooperatives. Any cooperative may elect to become subject to this chapter before said date by adopting an amendment to its articles making such election. All cooperatives formed after July 13, 1955 shall be formed under this chapter.
185.96(2)
(2) After January 1, 1956, this chapter applies to all foreign cooperatives.
185.96(3)
(3) Application of this chapter to associations existing before July 13, 1955 does not affect property rights of stockholders or members in such associations which were accrued or established at such time, nor does it affect any liability enforceable at such time, nor does it affect the validity or enforceability of contracts existing before such time.
185.96(4)
(4) Section 185.48 dealing with annual reports shall apply to all cooperatives on July 13, 1955.
185.96 History
History: 1985 a. 30 s.
42.
185.97
185.97
Title. This chapter may be cited as the "Wisconsin Cooperative Association Act".
185.97 History
History: 1985 a. 30 s.
42.
185.981
185.981
Cooperative sickness care. 185.981(1)
(1) Cooperative associations may be organized under this chapter without capital stock, exclusively to establish and operate in the state or in any county or counties therein a nonprofit plan or plans for sickness care, including hospital care, for their members and their dependents through contracts with physicians, medical societies, chiropractors, optometrists, dentists, dental societies, hospitals and others.
185.981(2)
(2) Such associations shall operate only on a cooperative nonprofit basis and for the purpose of establishing, maintaining and operating a voluntary nonprofit health, dental or vision care plan or plans or for constructing, operating and maintaining nonprofit hospitals or other facilities whereby sickness care, including hospital, dental or vision care, is provided at the expense of such association, its members or both, to such persons or groups of persons as shall become subscribers to such plan, under contracts which will entitle each such subscriber to definite medical, surgical, chiropractic, vision, dental or hospital care, appliances and supplies, by physicians and surgeons licensed and registered under
ch. 448, optometrists licensed under
ch. 449, chiropractors licensed under
ch. 446 and dentists licensed under
ch. 447 in their offices, in hospitals, in other facilities and in the home.
185.981(3)
(3) No cooperative association organized for the purposes provided in
ss. 185.981 to
185.983 shall be prevented from contracting with any hospital in this state for the rendition of such hospital care as is included within such a plan because such hospital participates in any other such plan, or in a plan organized and operated under
ss. 148.03 and
613.80. No hospital may discriminate against any physician and surgeon, chiropractor or dentist with respect to the use of such hospital's facilities by reason of his or her participation in a sickness care plan of a cooperative.
185.981(4)
(4) No contract by or on behalf of any such cooperative association shall provide for the payment of any cash, indemnity or other material benefit by that association to the subscriber or the subscriber's estate on account of death, illness or injury, nor be in any way related to the payment of any such benefit by any other agency, but any such association may stipulate in its plan that it will pay any nonparticipating physician and surgeon, optometrist, chiropractor, dentist or hospital outside of its normal territory for sickness or hospital care rendered any covered member or a member's covered dependent who is in need of the benefits of such plan when he or she is outside of the territory of such association in which the benefits of such plan are normally available. Any such plan may prescribe monetary limitations with respect to such extraterritorial benefits.
185.981(4t)
(4t) A sickness care plan operated by a cooperative association is subject to
ss. 252.14,
631.89,
632.72 (2),
632.745 to
632.749,
632.85,
632.853,
632.855,
632.87 (2m),
(3),
(4) and
(5),
632.895 (10) to
(13) and
632.897 (10) and
chs. 149 and
155.
185.981(5)
(5) Every such cooperative association is a charitable and benevolent corporation.
185.981(6)
(6) Every cooperative sickness care association organized under this section shall provide coverage for newborn infants as required under
s. 632.895 (5).
185.981(7)
(7) Notwithstanding
sub. (4) and
s. 185.982 (1), a sickness care plan that is operated by a cooperative association and that qualifies as a health maintenance organization, as defined in
s. 609.01 (2), is subject to
s. 609.655.
185.981(8)
(8) A sickness care plan operated by a cooperative association is subject to
s. 632.895 (8). Coverage of mammograms under
s. 632.895 (8) may be subject to any requirements that the sickness care plan imposes under
s. 609.05 (2) and
(3) on the coverage of other health care services obtained by members and their dependents.
185.981(9)
(9) Every cooperative sickness care association organized under this section that provides coverage for dependent children of members shall provide coverage for adopted children and children placed for adoption, as required under
s. 632.896. Coverage of health care services obtained by adopted children and children placed for adoption may be subject to any requirements that the sickness care plan imposes under
s. 609.05 (2) and
(3) on the coverage of health care services obtained by other members and their dependents.
185.981 History
History: 1971 c. 40 s.
93;
1971 c. 307 s.
118;
1975 c. 98;
1975 c. 223 s.
28;
1975 c. 224 s.
146;
1975 c. 421;
1981 c. 39 s.
22;
1981 c. 205;
1981 c. 391 s.
210;
1985 a. 29;
1985 a. 30 s.
42;
1987 a. 27 ss.
1917e,
3202 (47) (a);
1987 a. 312 s.
17;
1989 a. 121,
129,
200,
201,
336;
1991 a. 39,
123,
269;
1993 a. 27,
450,
481;
1995 a. 27,
118,
289;
1997 a. 27,
155,
237.
185.982
185.982
Manner of practicing medicine, chiropractic and dentistry; payment; promotional expense. 185.982(1)
(1) No sickness care plan or contract issued thereunder by such cooperative association shall interfere with the manner or mode of the practice of medicine, optometry, chiropractic or dentistry, the relationship of physician, chiropractor, optometrist or dentist and patient, nor the responsibility of physician, chiropractor, optometrist or dentist to patient. A plan may require persons covered to utilize health care providers designated by the cooperative association. The cooperative association may provide health care services directly through providers who are employes of the cooperative association or through agreements with individual providers or groups of providers organized on a group practice or individual practice basis. In making such agreements, no plan may refuse to provide coverage for vision care services or procedures provided by an optometrist licensed under
ch. 449 within the scope of the practice of optometry, as defined in
s. 449.01 (1), if the plan provides coverage for the same services or procedures when provided by another health care provider.
185.982(2)
(2) Any cooperative association operating a voluntary sickness care plan under the provisions of this chapter may pay physicians and surgeons, optometrists, chiropractors or dentists on a salary, per person or fee-for-service basis to provide sickness care to members of such association. Every association shall contract only with its own members for the benefits of any plan which it operates, but any association which operates a hospital may make the facilities thereof available to nonmembers and to nonparticipating physicians, optometrists or dentists.
185.982(3)
(3) Promotional expenses of any such associations, including promotional expense for building or investment purposes, shall be limited to 5 per cent as provided in
s. 185.09.
185.982 History
History: 1981 c. 205;
1987 a. 27.
185.983
185.983
Requirements of plan. 185.983(1)
(1) Every such voluntary nonprofit sickness care plan shall be exempt from
chs. 600 to
646, with the exception of
ss. 601.04,
601.13,
601.31,
601.41,
601.42,
601.43,
601.44,
601.45,
611.67,
619.04,
628.34 (10),
631.89,
631.93,
632.72 (2),
632.745 to
632.749,
632.775,
632.79,
632.795,
632.85,
632.853,
632.855,
632.87 (2m),
(3),
(4) and
(5),
632.895 (5) and
(9) to
(13),
632.896 and
632.897 (10) and
chs. 609,
630,
635,
645 and
646, but the sponsoring association shall:
185.983(1)(a)
(a) File with the commissioner of insurance a declaration defining the organization and operation of the plan, all printed literature and specimen copies of all proposed contracts with persons covered and with participating physicians and hospitals, including all amendments thereto. The form of all such contracts and amendments shall be subject to approval by the commissioner of insurance but the commissioner may not withhold approval if the form of such contracts or changes therein comply with the provisions of
ss. 185.981 to
185.985.
185.983(1)(b)
(b) Provide for like rates, benefits, terms and conditions for all persons in the same class.
185.983(1)(c)
(c) Invest its funds only in property and securities approved for domestic life insurance companies.
185.983(1)(d)
(d) File with the commissioner of insurance, on such forms as may be prescribed by the commissioner, an annual report of its financial condition as of December 31 each year, on or before the last day of February following.
185.983(1)(e)
(e) Maintain sufficient reserves to discharge its obligations, having regard for the nature of its contracts and the area and number of persons covered.
185.983(1g)
(1g) A cooperative association that is a small employer insurer, as defined in
s. 635.02 (8), is subject to the health insurance mandates, as defined in
s. 601.423 (1), to the same extent as any other small employer insurer, as defined in
s. 635.02 (8).
185.983(1m)
(1m) In addition to
ss. 601.04,
601.31,
632.79 and
632.895 (5), the commissioner of insurance may by rule subject a medicare supplement policy as defined in
s. 600.03 (28r), a medicare replacement policy as defined in
s. 600.03 (28p) or a long-term care insurance policy as defined in
s. 600.03 (28g) sold by a voluntary nonprofit sickness care plan to other provisions of
chs. 600 to
646, except the commissioner may not subject a medicare supplement policy, a medicare replacement policy or a long-term care insurance policy to
s. 632.895 (8).
185.983(2)
(2) Every such plan shall make provision for a minimum of one physician and surgeon, or dentist to each 2,000 persons covered for medical or dental care and a minimum of 6 hospital beds for each 2,000 persons covered for hospital care.
185.983(3)(a)(a) A plan that provides coverage of pharmaceutical services when performed by one or more pharmacists who are designated by the cooperative association but who are not full-time salaried employes of the cooperative association shall provide an annual period of at least 30 days during which any pharmacist registered under
ch. 450 may elect to participate in the plan under its terms as a designated health care provider for at least one year.
185.983(3)(b)
(b) Except as provided in
par. (c),
par. (a) applies to plans on and after May 10, 1984.
185.983(3)(c)
(c) If compliance with the requirements of
par. (a) during the period specified in
par. (b) would impair any provision of a contract between a cooperative association and any other person, and if the contract provision was in existence prior to May 10, 1984, then immediately after the expiration of all such contract provisions the plan operated by the cooperative association shall comply with the requirements of
par. (a).
185.983 History
History: 1975 c. 98;
1975 c. 224 s.
146;
1975 c. 352;
1975 c. 422 s.
163;
1977 c. 339;
1979 c. 89;
1981 c. 20;
1981 c. 39 s.
22;
1981 c. 82;
1981 c. 391 s.
210;
1983 a. 189 s.
329 (25);
1983 a. 396;
1985 a. 29 ss.
2060d to
2060r,
3202 (30);
1987 a. 27,
325;
1989 a. 23,
31,
129,
200,
201,
336,
359;
1991 a. 39,
189,
250,
269,
315;
1993 a. 450,
481,
482;
1995 a. 289;
1997 a. 27,
155,
237.
185.985
185.985
Inconsistent provisions of the statutes. Sickness care or hospital plans operated by cooperative associations organized under this chapter shall be operated exclusively under the provisions of
ss. 185.981 to
185.985. Other provisions of the statutes inconsistent with any of such provisions shall not be applicable to cooperative associations or sickness care plans operated by cooperative associations pursuant to this chapter.
185.985 History
History: 1985 a. 30 s.
42.
