Alabama § 27-30-14 - Contracts - Issuance; Contents; Approval by Commissioner.

§ 27-30-14. Contracts - Issuance; Contents; Approval by Commissioner.

(a) A mutual aid association shall issue to each member or policyholder a contract, in the English language, printed or reproduced by other easily legible means, and whether called a “certificate,” “policy,” “agreement,” or by whatever name, setting forth the aid and benefits for which the association is liable as to the respective individuals covered by such contract and the terms and conditions thereof and the amounts payable to the association on account of such contract and the terms and conditions of such payments. Any contract providing for aid, service, funeral, or other benefits payable otherwise than in cash shall set forth the reasonable cash value at retail of such aid, service, funeral, and other benefits, together with the valuation of such benefits for the purpose of computation of the reserves as provided in Section 27-30-17.

(b) No provision or agreement not contained in such contract shall be deemed to affect, in any manner, the terms and conditions of the contract. No provision contained, or to be contained, in any other document shall be made a part of the contract by reference unless the pertinent portions of such other document or an adequate summary thereof are set forth in the contract.

(c) An association shall not offer or use any form of contract until such form has been on file with the commissioner for at least 20 days, nor thereafter if the form has been disapproved by the commissioner. Within such 20 days, or at any time thereafter, the commissioner may disapprove any such form found by him to be unlawful, or unreasonable in its terms and conditions, or inequitable or that contains ambiguous and misleading clauses or clauses and conditions that tend to deceive as to the coverage and benefits purported to be given under the contract. The association shall not thereafter offer or use any such form which the commissioner has disapproved. The commissioner shall set forth the grounds thereof in any order of disapproval issued by him.