HF 2924

as introduced - 81st Legislature (1999 - 2000) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to insurance; regulating limitations on 
  1.3             maternity, prenatal care, and children's health 
  1.4             supervision services benefits; amending Minnesota 
  1.5             Statutes 1998, sections 62A.041, subdivision 2; 
  1.6             62A.0411; and 62A.047. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 62A.041, 
  1.9   subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  1.10     Subd. 2.  [LIMITATION ON COVERAGE PROHIBITED.] Each group 
  1.11  policy of accident and health insurance, except for policies 
  1.12  which only provide coverage for specified diseases, or each 
  1.13  group subscriber contract of accident and health insurance or 
  1.14  health maintenance contract, issued or renewed after August 1, 
  1.15  1987, shall include maternity benefits in the same manner as any 
  1.16  other illness covered under the policy or contract, except that 
  1.17  policy waiting periods for these benefits may not be imposed.  
  1.18     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 62A.0411, is 
  1.19  amended to read: 
  1.20     62A.0411 [MATERNITY CARE.] 
  1.21     Every health plan as defined in section 62Q.01, subdivision 
  1.22  3, that provides maternity benefits must, consistent with other 
  1.23  coinsurance, copayment, deductible, and related contract terms, 
  1.24  provide coverage of a minimum of 48 hours of inpatient care 
  1.25  following a vaginal delivery and a minimum of 96 hours of 
  1.26  inpatient care following a caesarean section for a mother and 
  2.1   her newborn.  The health plan may not impose waiting periods for 
  2.2   these benefits.  The health plan shall not provide any 
  2.3   compensation or other nonmedical remuneration to encourage a 
  2.4   mother and newborn to leave inpatient care before the duration 
  2.5   minimums specified in this section. 
  2.6      The health plan must also provide coverage for postdelivery 
  2.7   care to a mother and her newborn if the duration of inpatient 
  2.8   care is less than the minimums provided in this section. 
  2.9      Postdelivery care consists of a minimum of one home visit 
  2.10  by a registered nurse.  Services provided by the registered 
  2.11  nurse include, but are not limited to, parent education, 
  2.12  assistance and training in breast and bottle feeding, and 
  2.13  conducting any necessary and appropriate clinical tests.  The 
  2.14  home visit must be conducted within four days following the 
  2.15  discharge of the mother and her child. 
  2.16     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 62A.047, is 
  2.17  amended to read: 
  2.18     62A.047 [CHILDREN'S HEALTH SUPERVISION SERVICES AND 
  2.19  PRENATAL CARE SERVICES.] 
  2.20     A policy of individual or group health and accident 
  2.21  insurance regulated under this chapter, or individual or group 
  2.22  subscriber contract regulated under chapter 62C, health 
  2.23  maintenance contract regulated under chapter 62D, or health 
  2.24  benefit certificate regulated under chapter 64B, issued, 
  2.25  renewed, or continued to provide coverage to a Minnesota 
  2.26  resident, must provide coverage for child health supervision 
  2.27  services and prenatal care services.  The policy, contract, or 
  2.28  certificate must specifically exempt reasonable and customary 
  2.29  charges for child health supervision services and prenatal care 
  2.30  services from a deductible, copayment, or other coinsurance or 
  2.31  dollar limitation requirement.  This section does not prohibit 
  2.32  the use of policy waiting periods or preexisting condition 
  2.33  limitations for these services.  The policy, contract, or 
  2.34  certificate may not impose waiting periods for these benefits.  
  2.35  Minimum benefits may be limited to one visit payable to one 
  2.36  provider for all of the services provided at each visit cited in 
  3.1   this section subject to the schedule set forth in this section.  
  3.2   Nothing in this section applies to a commercial health insurance 
  3.3   policy issued as a companion to a health maintenance 
  3.4   organization contract, a policy designed primarily to provide 
  3.5   coverage payable on a per diem, fixed indemnity, or nonexpense 
  3.6   incurred basis, or a policy that provides only accident coverage.
  3.7      "Child health supervision services" means pediatric 
  3.8   preventive services, appropriate immunizations, developmental 
  3.9   assessments, and laboratory services appropriate to the age of a 
  3.10  child from birth to age six, and appropriate immunizations from 
  3.11  ages six to 18, as defined by Standards of Child Health Care 
  3.12  issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics.  Reimbursement 
  3.13  must be made for at least five child health supervision visits 
  3.14  from birth to 12 months, three child health supervision visits 
  3.15  from 12 months to 24 months, once a year from 24 months to 72 
  3.16  months. 
  3.17     "Prenatal care services" means the comprehensive package of 
  3.18  medical and psychosocial support provided throughout the 
  3.19  pregnancy, including risk assessment, serial surveillance, 
  3.20  prenatal education, and use of specialized skills and 
  3.21  technology, when needed, as defined by Standards for 
  3.22  Obstetric-Gynecologic Services issued by the American College of 
  3.23  Obstetricians and Gynecologists. 
  3.24     Sec. 4.  [EFFECTIVE DATE; APPLICATION.] 
  3.25     Sections 1 to 3 are effective August 1, 2000, and apply to 
  3.26  plans, policies, contracts, or certificates issued or renewed to 
  3.27  provide coverage to Minnesota residents on or after that date.