Chapter 234
2018 -- S 2529 SUBSTITUTE A
Enacted 07/02/2018

A N   A C T
RELATING TO INSURANCE -- ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS INSURANCE POLICIES

Introduced By: Senators Euer, Goldin, Sosnowski, Coyne, and Seveney
Date Introduced: March 01, 2018

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
     SECTION 1. Chapter 27-18 of the General Laws entitled "Accident and Sickness
Insurance Policies" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:
     27-18-84. Health insurance contracts - Full year coverage for contraception.
     Beginning on the first day of each plan year after April 1, 2019, every health-insurance
issuer offering group or individual health-insurance coverage that covers prescription
contraception shall not restrict reimbursement for dispensing a covered prescription contraceptive
up to three hundred sixty-five (365) days at a time.
     SECTION 2. Section 27-18-57 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-18 entitled "Accident
and Sickness Insurance Policies" is hereby amended to read as follows:
     27-18-57. F.D.A. approved prescription contraceptive drugs and devices.
     (a) Every individual or group health-insurance contract, plan, or policy that provides
prescription coverage and is delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state shall provide
coverage for F.D.A. approved contraceptive drugs and devices requiring a prescription. Provided,
that nothing in this subsection shall be deemed to mandate or require coverage for the
prescription drug RU 486.
     (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any insurance company may
issue to a religious employer an individual or group health-insurance contract, plan, or policy that
excludes coverage for prescription contraceptive methods which that are contrary to the religious
employer's bona fide religious tenets.
     (c) As used in this section, "religious employer" means an employer that is a "church or a
qualified church-controlled organization" as defined in 26 U.S.C. § 3121.
     (d) This section does not apply to insurance coverage providing benefits for: (1) hospital
Hospital confinement indemnity; (2) disability Disability income; (3) accident Accident only;
(4) long term Long-term care; (5) Medicare supplement; (6) limited Limited benefit health; (7)
specified Specified diseased indemnity; (8) sickness Sickness of or bodily injury or death by
accident or both; and (9) other Other limited-benefit policies.
     (e) Every religious employer that invokes the exemption provided under this section shall
provide written notice to prospective enrollees prior to enrollment with the plan, listing the
contraceptive health-care services the employer refuses to cover for religious reasons.
     (f) Beginning on the first day of each plan year after April 1, 2019, every health-
insurance issuer offering group or individual health-insurance coverage that covers prescription
contraception shall not restrict reimbursement for dispensing a covered prescription contraceptive
up to three hundred sixty-five (365) days at a time.
     SECTION 3. Chapter 27-19 of the General Laws entitled "Nonprofit Hospital Service
Corporations" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:
     27-19-76. Health insurance contracts - Full year coverage for contraception.
     Beginning on the first day of each plan year after April 1, 2019, every health-insurance
issuer offering group or individual health-insurance coverage that covers prescription
contraception shall not restrict reimbursement for dispensing a covered prescription contraceptive
up to three hundred sixty-five (365) days at a time.
     SECTION 4. Section 27-19-48 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-19 entitled "Nonprofit
Hospital Service Corporations" is hereby amended to read as follows:
     27-19-48. F.D.A. approved prescription contraceptive drugs and devices.
     (a) Every individual or group health-insurance contract, plan, or policy that provides
prescription coverage and is delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state shall provide
coverage for F.D.A. approved contraceptive drugs and devices requiring a prescription. Provided,
that nothing in this subsection shall be deemed to mandate or require coverage for the
prescription drug RU 486.
     (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any hospital service corporation
may issue to a religious employer an individual or group health-insurance contract, plan, or policy
that excludes coverage for prescription contraceptive methods which that are contrary to the
religious employer's bona fide religious tenets.
     (c) As used in this section, "religious employer" means an employer that is a "church or a
qualified church-controlled organization" as defined in 26 U.S.C. § 3121.
     (d) Every religious employer that invokes the exemption provided under this section shall
provide written notice to prospective enrollees prior to enrollment with the plan, listing the
contraceptive health-care services the employer refuses to cover for religious reasons.
     (e) Beginning on the first day of each plan year after April 1, 2019, every health-
insurance issuer offering group or individual health-insurance coverage that covers prescription
contraception shall not restrict reimbursement for dispensing a covered prescription contraceptive
up to three hundred sixty-five (365) days at a time.
     SECTION 5. Chapter 27-20 of the General Laws entitled "Nonprofit Medical Service
Corporations" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:
     27-20-72. Health insurance contracts - Full year coverage for contraception.
     Beginning on the first day of each plan year after April 1, 2019, every health-insurance
issuer offering group or individual health-insurance coverage that covers prescription
contraception shall not restrict reimbursement for dispensing a covered prescription contraceptive
up to three hundred sixty-five (365) days at a time.
     SECTION 6. Section 27-20-43 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-20 entitled "Nonprofit
Medical Service Corporations" is hereby amended to read as follows:
     27-20-43. F.D.A. approved prescription contraceptive drugs and devices.
     (a) Every individual or group health-insurance contract, plan, or policy that provides
prescription coverage and is delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state shall provide
coverage for F.D.A. approved contraceptive drugs and devices requiring a prescription. Provided,
that nothing in this subsection shall be deemed to mandate or require coverage for the
prescription drug RU 486.
     (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any medical service corporation
may issue to a religious employer an individual or group health-insurance contract, plan, or policy
that excludes coverage for prescription contraceptive methods which are contrary to the religious
employer's bona fide religious tenets.
     (c) As used in this section, "religious employer" means an employer that is a "church or a
qualified church-controlled organization" as defined in 26 U.S.C. § 3121.
     (d) Every religious employer that invokes the exemption provided under this section shall
provide written notice to prospective enrollees prior to enrollment with the plan, listing the
contraceptive health-care services the employer refuses to cover for religious reasons.
     (e) Beginning on the first day of each plan year after April 1, 2019, every health-
insurance issuer offering group or individual health-insurance coverage that covers prescription
contraception shall not restrict reimbursement for dispensing a covered prescription contraceptive
up to three hundred sixty-five (365) days at a time.
     SECTION 7. Chapter 27-41 of the General Laws entitled "Health Maintenance
Organizations" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:
     27-41-89. Health insurance contracts - Full year coverage for contraception.
     Beginning on the first day of each plan year after April 1, 2019, every health-insurance
issuer offering group or individual health-insurance coverage that covers prescription
contraception shall not restrict reimbursement for dispensing a covered prescription contraceptive
up to three hundred sixty-five (365) days at a time.
     SECTION 8. Section 27-41-59 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-41 entitled "Health
Maintenance Organizations" is hereby amended to read as follows:
     27-41-59. F.D.A. approved prescription contraceptive drugs and devices.
     (a) Every individual or group health-insurance contract, plan, or policy that provides
prescription coverage and is delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state shall provide
coverage for F.D.A. approved contraceptive drugs and devices requiring a prescription; provided,
that nothing in this subsection shall be deemed to mandate or require coverage for the
prescription drug RU 486.
     (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any health-maintenance
corporation may issue to a religious employer an individual or group health-insurance contract,
plan, or policy that excludes coverage for prescription contraceptive methods which that are
contrary to the religious employer's bona fide religious tenets.
     (c) As used in this section, "religious employer" means an employer that is a "church or a
qualified church-controlled organization" as defined in 26 U.S.C. § 3121.
     (d) Every religious employer that invokes the exemption provided under this section shall
provide written notice to prospective enrollees prior to enrollment with the plan, listing the
contraceptive health-care services the employer refuses to cover for religious reasons.
     (e) Beginning on the first day of each plan year after April 1, 2019, every health-
insurance issuer offering group or individual health-insurance coverage that covers prescription
contraception shall not restrict reimbursement for dispensing a covered prescription contraceptive
up to three hundred sixty-five (365) days at a time.
     SECTION 9. Chapter 40-8.4 of the General Laws entitled "Health Care For Families" is
hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:
     40-8.4-20. Full year coverage for contraception.
     No later than July 1, 2019, the executive office of health and human services (EOHHS)
shall apply for the appropriate federal approval to provide Medicaid beneficiaries up to three
hundred sixty-five (365) days of prescription contraception dispensed as a single prescription.
     SECTION 10. Section 9 of this act, pertaining to Medicaid, shall take effect July 1, 2019.
The remaining sections shall take effect April 1, 2019.
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LC004725/SUB A
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