Virginia Law

Article 2. Mandated Benefits.

A. If an accident and sickness insurance policy provides reimbursement for any service that may be legally performed by a person licensed in this Commonwealth as a chiropractor, optometrist, optician, professional counselor, psychologist, clinical social worker, podiatrist, physical therapist, chiropodist, clinical nurse specialist, audiologist, speech pathologist, certified nurse midwife or other advanced practice registered nurse, marriage and family therapist, athletic trainer, or licensed acupuncturist, reimbursement under the policy shall not be denied because the service is rendered by the licensed practitioner, provided that, for services performed by an athletic trainer, such service is performed in an office setting.

B. If an accident and sickness insurance policy provides reimbursement for a service that may be legally performed by a licensed pharmacist, reimbursement under the policy shall not be denied because the service is rendered by the licensed pharmacist, provided that (i) the service is performed for an insured for a condition under the terms of a collaborative agreement, as defined in § 54.1-3300, (ii) the service is for the administration of vaccines for immunization, or (iii) the service is provided in accordance with § 54.1-3303.1.

C. This section shall not apply to Medicaid, or any state fund.

1968, c. 588, § 38.1-347.1; 1973, c. 428; 1979, c. 13; 1986, c. 562; 1987, cc. 549, 551, 557; 1989, cc. 7, 201; 1997, c. 203; 1998, c. 146; 2001, cc. 102, 475; 2019, cc. 332, 333; 2020, cc. 726, 731; 2022, cc. 440, 441; 2023, c. 183.

A. Any group or individual accident and sickness insurance policy or subscription contract delivered or issued for delivery in the Commonwealth which provides that coverage of a dependent child shall terminate upon that child's attainment of a specified age, shall also provide in substance that attainment of the specified age shall not terminate the child's coverage during the continuance of the policy while the dependent child is and continues to be both: (i) incapable of self-sustaining employment by reason of intellectual or physical disability and (ii) chiefly dependent upon the policyowner for support and maintenance.

B. Proof of incapacity and dependency shall be furnished to the insurer by the policyowner within 31 days of the child's attainment of the specified age. Subsequent proof may be required by the insurer but not more frequently than annually after the two-year period following the child's attainment of the specified age.

C. The insurer may charge an additional premium for any continuation of coverage beyond the specified age. The additional premium shall be determined by the insurer on the basis of the class of risks applicable to the child.

1968, c. 411, § 38.1-348.1; 1974, c. 95; 1986, c. 562; 2012, cc. 476, 507; 2023, cc. 148, 149.

Each accident and sickness insurance policy or subscription contract shall be construed according to the entirety of its terms and conditions as set forth in the policy and as amplified, extended or modified by any rider, endorsement, or application attached to and made a part of the policy. However, the word "physician" or "doctor" when used in any accident or sickness insurance policy, or subscription contract shall be construed to include a dentist performing covered services within the scope of his professional license.

1968, c. 292, § 38.1-348.5; 1986, c. 562.

A. Each individual and group accident and sickness insurance policy or individual and group subscription contract providing coverage on an expense incurred basis, and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services that provides coverage for a family member of the insured or the subscriber shall, as to the family members' coverage, also provide that the accident and sickness insurance benefits applicable for children shall be payable with respect to a newly born child of the insured or subscriber from the moment of birth.

B. Coverage for newly born children shall be identical to coverage provided to the insured or subscriber except that, regardless of whether such coverage would otherwise be provided under the terms and conditions of the insurance policy, subscription contract, or health care plan, coverage shall be provided for:

1. Necessary care and treatment of medically diagnosed congenital defects and birth abnormalities, with coverage limits no more restrictive than for any injury or sickness covered under the insurance policy, subscription contract, or health care plan; and

2. Inpatient and outpatient dental, oral surgical, and orthodontic services that are medically necessary for the treatment of medically diagnosed cleft lip, cleft palate or ectodermal dysplasia. Such coverage shall be subject to any deductible, cost-sharing, and policy, contract, or health care plan maximum provisions, provided they are no more restrictive for such services than for any injury or sickness covered under the insurance policy, subscription contract, or health care plan.

C. If payment of a specific premium or subscription fee is required to provide coverage for a child, the policy, subscription contract, or health care plan may require that notification of birth of a newly born child and payment of the required premium or fees shall be furnished to the insurer issuing the policy or health care plan or corporation issuing the subscription contract within 31 days after the date of birth in order to have the coverage continue beyond the 31-day period.

1975, c. 281, § 38.1-348.6; 1976, c. 342; 1986, c. 562; 1993, c. 263; 2013, c. 653.

A. Every individual or group accident and sickness insurance policy, subscription contract providing coverage under a health services plan, or evidence of coverage of a health care plan delivered or issued for delivery in the Commonwealth or renewed, reissued, or extended if already issued, shall offer and make available coverage under such policy or plan for child health supervision services to provide for the periodic examination of children covered under such policy or plan.

B. As used in this section, the term "child health supervision services" means the periodic review of a child's physical and emotional status by a licensed and qualified physician or pursuant to a physician's supervision. A review shall include but not be limited to a history, complete physical examination, developmental assessment, anticipatory guidance, appropriate immunizations, and laboratory tests in keeping with prevailing medical standards.

C. Each such policy or plan, offering and making available such coverage, shall, at a minimum, provide benefits for child health supervision services at approximately the following age intervals: birth, two months, four months, six months, nine months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months, two years, three years, four years, five years, and six years. A policy or plan may provide that child health supervision services which are rendered during a periodic review shall only be covered to the extent that such services are provided by or under the supervision of a single physician during the course of one visit.

D. Benefits for coverage for child health supervision services shall be exempt from any copayment, coinsurance, deductible, or other dollar limit provision in the policy or plan. Such exemption shall be expressly stated on the policy, plan, rider, endorsement, or other attachment providing such coverage.

E. The premiums for such coverage shall take into consideration (i) the cost of providing such coverage, (ii) cost savings realized or likely to be realized as a consequence of such coverage, (iii) a reasonable profit for the insurer, and (iv) any other relevant information or data the Commission deems appropriate.

F. This section shall not apply (i) to any insurer or health services plan having fewer than 1,000 covered individuals insured or covered in Virginia or less than $500,000 in premiums in Virginia as of its last annual statement, (ii) to short-term travel or accident only policies, (iii) to short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration, or (iv) to specified disease, hospital indemnity or other limited benefit policies issued to provide supplemental benefits to a policy providing primary care benefits.

G. The provisions of this section shall not apply in any instance in which the provisions of this section are inconsistent or in conflict with a provision of Article 6 (§ 38.2-3438 et seq.) of Chapter 34.

1990, c. 901; 2000, c. 118; 2011, c. 882.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical or major medical coverage on an expense incurred basis, each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts, and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services that offers coverage for a family member of the insured, subscriber, or plan enrollee, shall, as to the family members' coverage, also provide that the accident and sickness insurance benefits applicable for children shall be payable with respect to adopted children of the insured, subscriber, or plan enrollee.

B. The coverage of such policy, subscription, or plan, applicable to family members of the insured, subscriber or enrollee, shall apply in the same manner and to the same but no greater extent to adopted children of the insured, subscriber or enrollee.

C. An adopted child shall be eligible for the coverage required by this section from the date of adoptive or parental placement with an insured, subscriber or plan enrollee for the purpose of adoption; and, in addition as to a child whose adoptive or parental placement has occurred within thirty-one days of birth, such child shall be considered a newborn child of the insured, subscriber or plan enrollee as of the date of adoptive or parental placement. Once coverage is in effect, it shall continue according to the terms of the policy, subscription contract, or plan, unless the said placement is disrupted prior to final decree of adoption, and the child is removed from placement with the insured, subscriber or plan enrollee.

D. If payment of a specific premium or subscription fee is required to provide coverage for a child, the policy or subscription contract may require notification of the placement of an adoptive child and payment of the required premium or fees shall be furnished to the insurer issuing the policy or corporation issuing the subscription contract within thirty-one days after the date of parental or adoptive placement in order to have the coverage continue beyond the thirty-one-day period.

E. No insurer, health services plan or health maintenance organization shall restrict coverage for any dependent child adopted or placed for adoption solely because of a preexisting condition of such child at the time that such child would otherwise become eligible for coverage under the plan.

1991, c. 103; 1994, c. 213.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for all routine and necessary immunizations for newborn children under such policy, contract or plan delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in this Commonwealth on and after July 1, 2000.

B. The required benefits shall apply to immunizations administered to each newborn child from birth to thirty-six months of age.

C. For the purpose of this section, "routine and necessary immunizations" means immunizations against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, and other such immunizations as may be prescribed by the Commissioner of Health.

D. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any policy, contract or plan under which the policyholder has elected to obtain coverage for child health supervision services offered and made available under § 38.2-3411.1 or to short-term travel, accident-only, limited or specified disease policies, or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans, or to short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration.

2000, cc. 460, 496.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for infant hearing screenings and all necessary audiological examinations provided pursuant to § 32.1-64.1 and as prescribed herein for newborn children under each such policy, contract or plan delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in this Commonwealth on and after July 1, 2001.

B. For purposes of this section, such coverage shall provide coverage for infant hearing screenings and all necessary audiological examinations provided pursuant to § 32.1-64.1 using any technology approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, and as recommended by the national Joint Committee on Infant Hearing in its most current position statement addressing early hearing detection and intervention programs. Such coverage shall include benefits for any follow-up audiological examinations as recommended by a physician or audiologist and performed by a licensed audiologist to confirm the existence or absence of hearing loss.

C. Nothing contained in this section shall abrogate any obligation to provide coverage for hearing screening tests or any other hearing screening test or audiological diagnostic procedure pursuant to this section or any other law or regulation of the Commonwealth or of the United States or under the terms or provisions of any policy or plan issued, renewed, reissued or extended in the Commonwealth.

D. The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident only, limited or specified disease policies, or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans, or to short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration.

2001, c. 663.

Repealed by Acts 1993, c. 132.

A. As used in this section:

"Adult" means any person who is 19 years of age or older.

"Alcohol or drug rehabilitation facility" means a facility in which a state-approved program for the treatment of alcoholism or drug addiction is provided. The facility shall be either (i) licensed by the State Board of Health pursuant to Chapter 5 (§ 32.1-123 et seq.) of Title 32.1 or by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services pursuant to Article 2 (§ 37.2-403 et seq.) of Chapter 4 of Title 37.2 or (ii) a state agency or institution.

"Child or adolescent" means any person under the age of 19 years.

"Crisis receiving center" means a community-based facility licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to provide short-term assessment, observation, and crisis stabilization services.

"Inpatient treatment" means mental health or substance abuse services delivered on a 24-hour per day basis in a hospital, alcohol or drug rehabilitation facility, an intermediate care facility or an inpatient unit of a mental health treatment center.

"Intermediate care facility" means a licensed, residential public or private facility that is not a hospital and that is operated primarily for the purpose of providing a continuous, structured 24-hour per day, state-approved program of inpatient substance abuse services.

"Medication management visit" means a visit no more than 20 minutes in length with a licensed physician or other licensed health care provider with prescriptive authority for the sole purpose of monitoring and adjusting medications prescribed for mental health or substance abuse treatment.

"Mental health services" or "mental health benefits" means benefits with respect to items or services for mental health conditions as defined under the terms of the health benefit plan. Any condition defined by the health benefit plan as being or as not being a mental health condition shall be defined to be consistent with generally recognized independent standards of current medical practice.

"Mental health treatment center" means a treatment facility organized to provide care and treatment for mental illness through multiple modalities or techniques pursuant to a written plan approved and monitored by a physician, clinical psychologist, or a psychologist licensed to practice in this Commonwealth. The facility shall be (i) licensed by the Commonwealth, (ii) funded or eligible for funding under federal or state law, or (iii) affiliated with a hospital under a contractual agreement with an established system for patient referral.

"Mobile crisis response services" means services licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to provide for rapid response to, assessment of, and early intervention for individuals experiencing an acute mental health crisis that are deployed at the location of the individual.

"Network adequacy" means access to services by measure of distance, time, and average length of referral to scheduled visit.

"Outpatient treatment" means mental health or substance abuse treatment services rendered to a person as an individual or part of a group while not confined as an inpatient. Such treatment shall not include services delivered through a partial hospitalization or intensive outpatient program as defined herein.

"Partial hospitalization" means a licensed or approved day or evening treatment program that includes the major diagnostic, medical, psychiatric and psychosocial rehabilitation treatment modalities designed for patients with mental, emotional, or nervous disorders, and alcohol or other drug dependence who require coordinated, intensive, comprehensive and multi-disciplinary treatment. Such a program shall provide treatment over a period of six or more continuous hours per day to individuals or groups of individuals who are not admitted as inpatients. Such term shall also include intensive outpatient programs for the treatment of alcohol or other drug dependence which provide treatment over a period of three or more continuous hours per day to individuals or groups of individuals who are not admitted as inpatients.

"Residential crisis stabilization unit" means a community-based, short-term residential program licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to provide short-term assessment, observation, support, and crisis stabilization for individuals who are experiencing an acute mental health crisis.

"Substance abuse services" or "substance use disorder benefits" means benefits with respect to items or services for substance use disorders as defined under the terms of the health benefit plan. Any disorder defined by the health benefit plan as being or as not being a substance use disorder shall be defined to be consistent with generally recognized independent standards of current medical practice.

"Treatment" means services including diagnostic evaluation, medical, psychiatric and psychological care, and psychotherapy for mental, emotional or nervous disorders or alcohol or other drug dependence rendered by a hospital, alcohol or drug rehabilitation facility, intermediate care facility, mental health treatment center, a physician, psychologist, clinical psychologist, licensed clinical social worker, licensed professional counselor, licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner, licensed marriage and family therapist or clinical nurse specialist. Treatment for physiological or psychological dependence on alcohol or other drugs shall also include the services of counseling and rehabilitation as well as services rendered by a state certified alcoholism, drug, or substance abuse counselor or substance abuse counseling assistant, limited to the scope of practice set forth in § 54.1-3507.1 or 54.1-3507.2, respectively, employed by a facility or program licensed to provide such treatment.

B. Except as provided in subsections C and D, group and individual health insurance coverage, as defined in § 38.2-3431, shall provide coverage for mental health and substance use disorder benefits. Such benefits shall be in parity with the medical and surgical benefits contained in the coverage in accordance with the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA), P.L. 110-343, even where those requirements would not otherwise apply directly. Coverage required under this subsection shall include mobile crisis response services and support and stabilization services provided in a residential crisis stabilization unit or crisis receiving center to the extent that such services are covered in other settings or modalities, regardless of any difference in billing codes.

C. Any grandfathered plan as defined in § 38.2-3438 in the small group market shall either continue to provide benefits in accordance with subsection B or continue to provide coverage for inpatient and partial hospitalization mental health and substance abuse services as follows:

1. Treatment for an adult as an inpatient at a hospital, inpatient unit of a mental health treatment center, alcohol or drug rehabilitation facility or intermediate care facility for a minimum period of 20 days per policy or contract year.

2. Treatment for a child or adolescent as an inpatient at a hospital, inpatient unit of a mental health treatment center, alcohol or drug rehabilitation facility or intermediate care facility for a minimum period of 25 days per policy or contract year.

3. Up to 10 days of the inpatient benefit set forth in subdivisions 1 and 2 of this subsection may be converted when medically necessary at the option of the person or the parent, as defined in § 16.1-336, of a child or adolescent receiving such treatment to a partial hospitalization benefit applying a formula which shall be no less favorable than an exchange of 1.5 days of partial hospitalization coverage for each inpatient day of coverage. An insurance policy or subscription contract described herein that provides inpatient benefits in excess of 20 days per policy or contract year for adults or 25 days per policy or contract year for a child or adolescent may provide for the conversion of such excess days on the terms set forth in this subdivision.

4. The limits of the benefits set forth in this subsection shall not be more restrictive than for any other illness, except that the benefits may be limited as set out in this subsection.

5. This subsection shall not apply to any excepted benefits policy as defined in § 38.2-3431, nor to policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans.

D. Any grandfathered plan as defined in § 38.2-3438 in the small group market shall also either continue to provide benefits in accordance with subsection B or continue to provide coverage for outpatient mental health and substance abuse services as follows:

1. A minimum of 20 visits for outpatient treatment of an adult, child or adolescent shall be provided in each policy or contract year.

2. The limits of the benefits set forth in this subsection shall be no more restrictive than the limits of benefits applicable to physical illness; however, the coinsurance factor applicable to any outpatient visit beyond the first five of such visits covered in any policy or contract year shall be at least 50 percent.

3. For the purpose of this section, medication management visits shall be covered in the same manner as a medication management visit for the treatment of physical illness and shall not be counted as an outpatient treatment visit in the calculation of the benefit set forth herein.

4. For the purpose of this subsection, if all covered expenses for a visit for outpatient mental health or substance abuse treatment apply toward any deductible required by a policy or contract, such visit shall not count toward the outpatient visit benefit maximum set forth in the policy or contract.

5. This subsection shall not apply to any excepted benefits policy as defined in § 38.2-3431, nor to policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans.

E. The requirements of this section shall apply to all insurance policies and subscription contracts delivered, issued for delivery, reissued, renewed, or extended, or at any time when any term of the policy or contract is changed or any premium adjustment made.

F. The provisions of this section shall not apply in any instance in which the provisions of this section are inconsistent or in conflict with a provision of Article 6 (§ 38.2-3438 et seq.) of Chapter 34.

G. The Bureau of Insurance, in consultation with health carriers providing coverage for mental health and substance use disorder benefits pursuant to this section, shall develop reporting requirements regarding denied claims, complaints, appeals, and network adequacy involving such coverage set forth in this section. By November 1 of each year, the Bureau shall compile the information for the preceding year into a report that ensures the confidentiality of individuals whose information has been reported and is written in nontechnical, readily understandable language. The Bureau shall include in the report a summary of all comparative analyses prepared by health carriers pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 300gg-26(a)(8) that the Bureau requested during the reporting period. This summary shall include the Bureau's explanation of whether the analyses were accepted as compliant, rejected as noncompliant, or are in process of review. For analyses that were noncompliant, the report shall include the corrective actions that the Bureau required the health carrier to take to come into compliance. The Bureau shall make the report available to the public by, among such other means as the Bureau finds appropriate, posting the reports on the Bureau's website and submit the report to the House Committee on Labor and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor.

1993, c. 132; 1995, c. 270; 1996, c. 41; 1997, c. 901; 1999, c. 941; 2001, c. 460; 2004, c. 156; 2006, c. 638; 2009, cc. 813, 840; 2010, c. 693; 2013, c. 751; 2015, c. 649; 2020, cc. 726, 847; 2022, c. 544; 2023, cc. 186, 187; 2024, cc. 199, 360.

Repealed by Acts 2015, c. 649, cl. 2.

Repealed by Acts 1993, c. 132.

A. Each insurer proposing to issue a group hospital policy or a group major medical policy in this Commonwealth and each corporation proposing to issue group hospital, group medical or group major medical subscription contracts shall provide coverage for obstetrical services as an option available to the group policyholder or the contract holder in the case of benefits based upon treatment as an inpatient in a general hospital. The reimbursement for obstetrical services by a physician shall be based on the charges for the services determined according to the same formula by which the charges are developed for other medical and surgical procedures. Such coverage shall have durational limits, dollar limits, deductibles and coinsurance factors that are no less favorable than for physical illness generally.

B. This section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident only, or limited or specified disease policies or contracts, nor to policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans.

1978, c. 375, § 38.1-348.9; 1986, c. 562; 2014, c. 814.

A. Each insurer proposing to issue an individual or group hospital policy or major medical policy in this Commonwealth, each corporation proposing to issue an individual or group hospital, medical or major medical subscription contract, and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services that provides benefits for obstetrical services shall provide coverage for postpartum services as provided in this section.

B. Such coverage shall include benefits for inpatient care and a home visit or visits which shall be in accordance with the medical criteria, outlined in the most current version of or an official update to the "Guidelines for Perinatal Care" prepared by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists or the "Standards for Obstetric-Gynecologic Services" prepared by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Such coverage shall be provided incorporating any changes in such Guidelines or Standards within six months of the publication of such Guidelines or Standards or any official amendment thereto.

C. The requirements of this section shall apply to all insurance policies, contracts and plans delivered, issued for delivery, reissued, or extended on and after July 1, 1996, or at any time thereafter when any term of the policy, contract or plan is changed or any premium adjustment is made.

D. This section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident only, or limited or specified disease policies or contracts, nor to policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans.

1996, cc. 155, 201; 2014, c. 814.

No group accident and sickness insurance policy, nor any group subscription contract, delivered or issued for delivery in this Commonwealth or renewed, reissued or extended if already issued, shall contain any provision excluding or reducing the benefits of any insured or subscriber because benefits have been paid or are payable under any individually underwritten and individually issued policy or subscription contract providing exclusively for accident and sickness benefits and for which the entire premium has been paid by the insured, a member of the insured's family, or the insured's guardian or conservator.

1978, c. 496, § 38.1-348.10; 1986, c. 562; 1997, c. 801.

Repealed by Acts 2014, c. 814, cl. 2.

A. An insurer issuing accident and sickness insurance or a corporation issuing subscription contracts on an expense incurred basis shall make available in offering such coverage or contract to the potential insured or contract holder one or more of the following options under which the individual insured or group certificate holder pays for:

1. The first $100 of the cost of the services covered or benefits payable by the policy or contract during a 12-month period;

2. Twenty percent of the first $1,000 of the cost of the services covered or benefits payable by the policy or contract during a 12-month period;

3. The first $100 and 20 percent of the next $1,000 of the cost of the services covered or benefits payable by the policy or contract during a 12-month period; or

4. Any other option containing a greater deductible, coinsurance, or cost-sharing provision. However, the option shall not be inconsistent with standards established with respect to deductibles, coinsurance, or cost-sharing pursuant to § 38.2-3519.

B. As used in this section, "make available" means that the insurer or corporation shall disseminate information concerning the option or options and make a policy or contract containing the option or options available to potential insureds or contract holders at the same time and in the same manner as the insurer or corporation disseminates information concerning other policies or contracts and coverage options and makes other policies or contracts and coverage options available.

C. This section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident only, or limited or specified disease policies or contracts, nor to policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans.

D. The provisions of this section shall not apply in any instance in which the provisions of this section are inconsistent or in conflict with a provision of Article 6 (§ 38.2-3438 et seq.) of Chapter 34.

1981, c. 322, § 38.1-348.12:1; 1986, c. 562; 2013, c. 751; 2014, c. 814.

Each hospital expense, medical-surgical expense, major medical expense or hospital confinement indemnity insurance policy issued by an insurer, each individual and group subscription contract providing hospital, medical, or surgical benefits issued by a corporation, and each contract issued by a health maintenance organization which provide benefits as a result of an "accident" or "accidental injury" shall be construed to include benefits for pregnancy following an act of rape of an insured or subscriber which was reported to the police within seven days following its occurrence, to the same extent as any other covered accident. The 7-day requirement shall be extended to 180 days in the case of an act of rape or incest of a female under 13 years of age.

1981, c. 42, § 38.1-348.13; 1986, c. 562.

A. 1. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical or major medical coverage on an expense incurred basis, each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage under such policy, contract or plan delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in this Commonwealth on and after July 1, 1996, for low-dose screening mammograms for determining the presence of occult breast cancer. Such coverage shall make available one screening mammogram to persons age thirty-five through thirty-nine, one such mammogram biennially to persons age forty through forty-nine, one such mammogram annually to persons age fifty and over and may be limited to a benefit of fifty dollars per mammogram subject to such dollar limits, deductibles and coinsurance factors as are no less favorable than for physical illness generally.

2. The term "mammogram" shall mean an X-ray examination of the breast using equipment dedicated specifically for mammography, including but not limited to the X-ray tube, filter, compression device, screens, film and cassettes, with an average radiation exposure of less than one rad mid-breast, two views of each breast.

B. In order to be considered a screening mammogram for which coverage shall be made available under this section:

1. The mammogram must be (i) ordered by a health care practitioner acting within the scope of his licensure and, in the case of an enrollee of a health maintenance organization, by the health maintenance organization physician, (ii) performed by a registered technologist, (iii) interpreted by a qualified radiologist, (iv) performed under the direction of a person licensed to practice medicine and surgery and certified by the American Board of Radiology or an equivalent examining body and (v) a copy of the mammogram report must be sent or delivered to the health care practitioner who ordered it;

2. The equipment used to perform the mammogram shall meet the standards set forth by the Virginia Department of Health in its radiation protection regulations; and

3. The mammography film shall be retained by the radiologic facility performing the examination in accordance with the American College of Radiology guidelines or state law.

C. The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident only, limited or specified disease policies, or to short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration.

1989, c. 646; 1990, c. 284; 1996, c. 610.

Repealed by Acts 2008, c. 420, cl. 2.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis, each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage under such policy, contract or plan delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in this Commonwealth on and after July 1, 1996, for annual pap smears, including coverage, on and after July 1, 1999, for annual testing performed by any FDA-approved gynecologic cytology screening technologies.

B. The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident only, limited or specified disease policies, or to short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration.

1996, c. 611; 1999, c. 921.

A. Each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis, each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts, and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services that provides coverage under such policy, contract or plan for diagnostic and surgical treatment involving any bone or joint of the skeletal structure shall not, under such policy, contract or plan delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in this Commonwealth on and after July 1, 1995, exclude coverage for such diagnostic and surgical treatment involving any bone or joint of the head, neck, face or jaw or impose limits that are more restrictive than limits on coverage applicable to such treatment involving any bone or joint of the skeletal structure if the treatment is required because of a medical condition or injury which prevents normal function of the joint or bone and is deemed medically necessary to attain functional capacity of the affected part.

B. The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident-only, limited or specified disease policies, or to short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration.

1995, c. 537.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for hemophilia and congenital bleeding disorders under such policy, contract or plan delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in this Commonwealth on and after July 1, 1998.

B. For the purpose of this section:

"Blood infusion equipment" includes, but is not limited to, syringes and needles.

"Blood product" includes, but is not limited to, Factor VII, Factor VIII, Factor IX, and cryoprecipitate.

"Hemophilia" means a lifelong hereditary bleeding disorder usually affecting males that results in prolonged bleeding primarily into joints and muscles.

"Home treatment program" means a program where individuals or family members are trained to provide infusion therapy at home in order to achieve optimal health and cost effectiveness.

"State-approved hemophilia treatment center" means a hospital or clinic which receives federal or state Maternal and Child Health Bureau, and/or Centers for Disease Control funds to conduct comprehensive care for persons with hemophilia and other congenital bleeding disorders.

C. The benefits to be provided shall include coverage for expenses incurred in connection with the treatment of routine bleeding episodes associated with hemophilia and other congenital bleeding disorders. The benefits to be provided shall include coverage for the purchase of blood products and blood infusion equipment required for home treatment of routine bleeding episodes associated with hemophilia and other congenital bleeding disorders when the home treatment program is under the supervision of the state-approved hemophilia treatment center.

D. The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident only, limited or specified disease policies, policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or to any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans, or to short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration.

1998, cc. 43, 120.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for reconstructive breast surgery under such policy, contract or plan delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in this Commonwealth.

B. The reimbursement for reconstructive breast surgery shall be determined according to the same formula by which charges are developed for other medical and surgical procedures. Such coverage shall have durational limits, dollar limits, deductibles and coinsurance factors that are no less favorable than for physical illness generally. Coverage shall be provided in a manner determined in consultation with the attending physician and the patient.

C. For purposes of this section, "mastectomy" means the surgical removal of all or part of the breast and "reconstructive breast surgery" means surgery performed (i) coincident with or following a mastectomy or (ii) following a mastectomy to reestablish symmetry between the two breasts, for reconstructive breast surgery performed on or after October 21, 1998, and while the patient is or was a covered person under the policy, contract or plan. Reconstructive breast surgery shall also include coverage for prostheses, determined as necessary in consultation with the attending physician and patient, and physical complications of mastectomy, including medically necessary treatment of lymphedemas.

D. Written notice of the availability of this coverage shall be provided to the subscribers upon enrollment in the policy and annually thereafter. Such notice shall be prominently positioned in any literature or correspondence provided to the subscribers.

E. Eligibility for coverage shall not be denied solely for the purpose of avoiding the requirements of this section, nor shall an attending provider be penalized or have the reimbursement reduced or incentives, monetary or otherwise, provided to induce such provider to provide care in a manner inconsistent with this section.

F. The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident only, limited or specified disease policies (except policies issued for cancer), policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans or to short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration.

1998, c. 56; 2002, c. 415; 2003, c. 250.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for medically necessary early intervention services under such policy, contract or plan delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in this Commonwealth on and after July 1, 1998. Such coverage shall be limited to a benefit of $5,000 per insured or member per policy or calendar year and, except as set forth in subsection C, shall be subject to such dollar limits, deductibles and coinsurance factors as are no less favorable than for physical illness generally.

B. For the purpose of this section, "early intervention services" means medically necessary speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy and assistive technology services and devices for dependents from birth to age three who are certified by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services as eligible for services under Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1471 et seq.). "Medically necessary early intervention services for the population certified by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services" shall mean those services designed to help an individual attain or retain the capability to function age-appropriately within his environment, and shall include services that enhance functional ability without effecting a cure.

C. The cost of early intervention services shall not be applied to any contractual provision limiting the total amount of coverage paid by the insurer, corporation or health maintenance organization to or on behalf of the insured or member during the insured's or member's lifetime.

D. "Financial costs," as used in this section, shall mean any copayment, coinsurance, or deductible in the policy or plan. Financial costs may be paid through the use of federal Part H program funds, state general funds, or local government funds appropriated to implement Part H services for families who may refuse the use of their insurance to pay for early intervention services due to a financial cost.

E. The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident only, limited or specified disease policies, policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or governmental plans or to short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration.

F. The provisions of this section shall not apply in any instance in which the provisions of this section are inconsistent or in conflict with a provision of Article 6 (§ 38.2-3438 et seq.) of Chapter 34.

1998, c. 625; 2009, cc. 813, 840; 2011, c. 882.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage providing a minimum stay in the hospital of not less than forty-eight hours for a patient following a radical or modified radical mastectomy and not less than twenty-four hours of inpatient care following a total mastectomy or a partial mastectomy with lymph node dissection for the treatment of breast cancer. Nothing in this section shall be construed as requiring the provision of inpatient coverage where the attending physician in consultation with the patient determines that a shorter period of hospital stay is appropriate. Such provision shall be included under any policy, contract or plan delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in this Commonwealth on and after July 1, 1998.

The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident only, limited or specified disease policies, policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans, or to short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration.

1998, c. 631.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage to (i) persons age fifty and over and (ii) persons age forty and over who are at high risk for prostate cancer, according to the most recent published guidelines of the American Cancer Society, for one PSA test in a twelve-month period and digital rectal examinations, all in accordance with American Cancer Society guidelines under any such policy, contract or plan delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in this Commonwealth on and after July 1, 1998.

B. For the purpose of this section, "PSA testing" means the analysis of a blood sample to determine the level of prostate specific antigen.

C. The provisions of this section shall not apply to (i) short-term travel, accident only, limited or specified disease policies other than cancer policies, (ii) short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration, or (iii) policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans.

1998, cc. 709, 858.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for colorectal cancer screening under any such policy, contract, or plan delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this Commonwealth.

B. Coverage for colorectal cancer screening, examinations, and laboratory tests shall be provided in accordance with the most recently published recommendations established by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force for colorectal cancer screening for which a rating of A or B is in effect with respect to the individual involved. A follow-up colonoscopy after a positive noninvasive stool-based screening test or direct visualization screening test shall be covered.

C. The coverage provided under this section shall not be subject to any deductible, coinsurance, or any other cost-sharing requirements for services received from participating providers under the policy, contract, or plan.

D. The provisions of this section shall not apply to (i) short-term travel, accident only, limited or specified disease policies, other than cancer policies, (ii) short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months duration, or (iii) policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans.

2000, c. 888; 2024, c. 181.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for patient costs incurred during participation in clinical trials for treatment studies on cancer, including ovarian cancer trials, under any such policy, contract or plan delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this Commonwealth on and after July 1, 1999.

B. The reimbursement for patient costs incurred during participation in clinical trials for treatment studies on cancer shall be determined in the same manner as reimbursement is determined for other medical and surgical procedures. Such coverage shall have durational limits, dollar limits, deductibles, copayments and coinsurance factors that are no less favorable than for physical illness generally.

C. For purposes of this section:

"Cooperative group" means a formal network of facilities that collaborate on research projects and have an established NIH-approved peer review program operating within the group. "Cooperative group" includes (i) the National Cancer Institute Clinical Cooperative Group and (ii) the National Cancer Institute Community Clinical Oncology Program.

"FDA" means the Federal Food and Drug Administration.

"Member" means a policyholder, subscriber, insured, or certificate holder or a covered dependent of a policyholder, subscriber, insured or certificate holder.

"Multiple project assurance contract" means a contract between an institution and the federal Department of Health and Human Services that defines the relationship of the institution to the federal Department of Health and Human Services and sets out the responsibilities of the institution and the procedures that will be used by the institution to protect human subjects.

"NCI" means the National Cancer Institute.

"NIH" means the National Institutes of Health.

"Patient cost" means the cost of a medically necessary health care service that is incurred as a result of the treatment being provided to the member for purposes of a clinical trial. "Patient cost" does not include (i) the cost of nonhealth care services that a patient may be required to receive as a result of the treatment being provided for purposes of a clinical trial, (ii) costs associated with managing the research associated with the clinical trial, or (iii) the cost of the investigational drug or device.

D. Coverage for patient costs incurred during clinical trials for treatment studies on cancer shall be provided if the treatment is being conducted in a Phase II, Phase III, or Phase IV clinical trial. Such treatment may, however, be provided on a case-by-case basis if the treatment is being provided in a Phase I clinical trial.

E. The treatment described in subsection D shall be provided by a clinical trial approved by:

1. The National Cancer Institute;

2. An NCI cooperative group or an NCI center;

3. The FDA in the form of an investigational new drug application;

4. The federal Department of Veterans Affairs; or

5. An institutional review board of an institution in the Commonwealth that has a multiple project assurance contract approved by the Office of Protection from Research Risks of the NCI.

F. The facility and personnel providing the treatment shall be capable of doing so by virtue of their experience, training, and expertise.

G. Coverage under this section shall apply only if:

1. There is no clearly superior, noninvestigational treatment alternative;

2. The available clinical or preclinical data provides a reasonable expectation that the treatment will be at least as effective as the noninvestigational alternative; and

3. The member and the physician or health care provider who provides services to the member under the insurance policy, subscription contract or health care plan conclude that the member's participation in the clinical trial would be appropriate, pursuant to procedures established by the insurer, corporation or health maintenance organization and as disclosed in the policy and evidence of coverage.

H. The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident-only, limited or specified disease policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or governmental plans or to short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration.

I. The provisions of this section shall not apply in any instance in which the provisions of this section are inconsistent or in conflict with a provision of Article 6 (§ 38.2-3438 et seq.) of Chapter 34.

1999, cc. 643, 649; 2013, c. 751.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue an individual or group hospital policy or major medical policy in this Commonwealth, each corporation proposing to issue an individual or group hospital, medical or major medical subscription contract, and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care shall provide coverage for laparoscopy-assisted vaginal hysterectomy and vaginal hysterectomy as provided in this section.

B. Such coverage shall include benefits for a minimum stay in the hospital of not less than 23 hours for a laparoscopy-assisted vaginal hysterectomy and 48 hours for a vaginal hysterectomy. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as requiring the provision of the total hours referenced when the attending physician, in consultation with the patient, determines that a shorter period of hospital stay is appropriate.

C. The requirements of this section shall apply to all insurance policies, contracts and plans delivered, issued for delivery, reissued, or extended on and after July 1, 1999, or at any time thereafter when any term of the policy, contract or plan is changed or any premium adjustment is made.

D. This section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident-only, or limited or specified disease policies or contracts, nor to policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans.

1999, cc. 643, 649; 2000, c. 922; 2014, c. 814.

A. Each insurer proposing to issue an individual or group hospital policy or major medical policy in this Commonwealth, each corporation proposing to issue an individual or group hospital, medical or major medical subscription contract, and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for diabetes as provided in this section.

B. Such coverage shall include benefits for equipment, supplies and in-person outpatient self-management training and education, including medical nutrition therapy, for the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes, insulin-using diabetes, gestational diabetes and noninsulin-using diabetes if prescribed by a health care professional legally authorized to prescribe such items under law. As used herein, the terms "equipment" and "supplies" shall not be considered durable medical equipment.

C. To qualify for coverage under this section, diabetes in-person outpatient self-management training and education shall be provided by a certified, registered or licensed health care professional. A managed care health insurance plan, as defined in Chapter 58 (§ 38.2-5800 et seq.) of this title, may require such health care professional to be a member of the plan's provider network; provided that such network includes sufficient health care professionals who are qualified by specific education, experience, and credentials to provide the covered benefits described in this section.

D. No insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization shall impose upon any person receiving benefits pursuant to this section any copayment, fee or condition that is not equally imposed upon all individuals in the same benefit category, nor shall any insurer, corporation or health maintenance organization impose any policy-year or calendar-year dollar or durational benefit limitations or maximums for benefits or services provided under this section.

E. The requirements of this section shall apply to all insurance policies, contracts and plans delivered, issued for delivery, reissued, or extended on and after July 1, 2000, or at any time thereafter when any term of the policy, contract or plan is changed or any premium adjustment is made.

F. This section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident only, or limited or specified disease policies or contracts, nor to policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans.

1999, c. 35; 2000, cc. 1025, 1060; 2014, c. 814.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for hospice services under such policy, contract or plan delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in this Commonwealth on and after July 1, 1999.

B. As used in this section:

"Hospice services" shall mean a coordinated program of home and inpatient care provided directly or under the direction of a hospice licensed under Article 7 (§ 32.1-162.1 et seq.) of Chapter 5 of Title 32.1, and shall include palliative and supportive physical, psychological, psychosocial and other health services to individuals with a terminal illness utilizing a medically directed interdisciplinary team.

"Individuals with a terminal illness" shall mean individuals whose condition has been diagnosed as terminal by a licensed physician, whose medical prognosis is death within six months, and who elect to receive palliative rather than curative care.

"Medicare" shall mean Title XVIII of the Social Security Act.

"Palliative care" shall mean treatment directed at controlling pain, relieving other symptoms, and focusing on the special needs of the patient as he experiences the stress of the dying process, rather than treatment aimed at investigation and intervention for the purpose of cure or prolongation of life.

C. For the purposes of this section, documentation requirements shall be no greater than those required for the same services under Medicare.

D. Nothing in this section shall prohibit an insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization from offering or providing coverage for hospice services when it cannot be demonstrated that the illness is terminal or for individuals with life expectancies of longer than six months.

E. The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident only, short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration, or to policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans.

1999, c. 858.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for medically necessary general anesthesia and hospitalization or facility charges of a facility licensed to provide outpatient surgical procedures for dental care provided to a covered person who is determined by a licensed dentist in consultation with the covered person's treating physician to require general anesthesia and admission to a hospital or outpatient surgery facility to effectively and safely provide dental care and (i) is under the age of five, or (ii) is severely disabled, or (iii) has a medical condition and requires admission to a hospital or outpatient surgery facility and general anesthesia for dental care treatment. For purposes of this section, a determination of medical necessity shall include but not be limited to a consideration of whether the age, physical condition or mental condition of the covered person requires the utilization of general anesthesia and the admission to a hospital or outpatient surgery facility to safely provide the underlying dental care.

B. Such insurer, corporation or health maintenance organization may require prior authorization for general anesthesia and hospitalization or surgical facility charges for dental procedures in the same manner that prior authorization is required for other covered benefits.

C. Such insurer, corporation or health maintenance organization shall restrict coverage for general anesthesia expenses to those health care providers who are licensed to provide anesthesia services and shall restrict coverage for facility charges to facilities licensed to provide surgical services.

D. The provisions of this section shall not be construed to require coverage for dental care incident to the coverage provided in this section.

E. The provisions of this section are applicable to any policy, contract or plan delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in this Commonwealth on and after July 1, 2000.

F. The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident-only, limited or specified disease policies, nor to policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans.

2000, c. 157.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, in the large group market, each insurer proposing to issue accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall offer and make available coverage under any such policy, contract or plan for the treatment of morbid obesity through gastric bypass surgery or such other methods as may be recognized by the National Institutes of Health as effective for the long-term reversal of morbid obesity.

B. The reimbursement for the treatment of morbid obesity shall be determined according to the same formula by which charges are developed for other medical and surgical procedures. Such coverage shall have durational limits, dollar limits, deductibles, copayments and coinsurance factors that are no less favorable than for physical illness generally. Standards and criteria, including those related to diet, used by insurers to approve or restrict access to surgery for morbid obesity shall be based upon current clinical guidelines recognized by the National Institutes of Health.

C. For purposes of this section, "morbid obesity" means (i) a weight that is at least 100 pounds over or twice the ideal weight for frame, age, height, and gender as specified in the 1983 Metropolitan Life Insurance tables, (ii) a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 35 kilograms per meter squared with comorbidity or coexisting medical conditions such as hypertension, cardiopulmonary conditions, sleep apnea, or diabetes, or (iii) a BMI of 40 kilograms per meter squared without such comorbidity. As used herein, BMI equals weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.

D. The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident-only, limited or specified disease policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or governmental plans or to short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration; health care plans, contracts, or policies issued in the individual or small group market; or a qualified health plan when the plan is offered in the Commonwealth by a health carrier through a health benefit exchange established under § 1311 of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148).

2000, c. 465; 2003, c. 462; 2014, c. 814.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical, coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for lymphedema as provided in this section.

B. Coverage under this section shall include benefits for equipment, supplies, complex decongestive therapy, and outpatient self-management training and education for the treatment of lymphedema, if prescribed by a health care professional legally authorized to prescribe or provide such items under law.

C. A managed care health insurance plan, as defined in Chapter 58 (§ 38.2-5800 et seq.) of this title, may require such health care professional to be a member of the plan's provider network, provided that such network includes sufficient health care professionals who are qualified by specific education, experience, and credentials to provide the covered benefits described in this section.

D. No insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization shall impose upon any person receiving benefits pursuant to this section any copayment, fee, policy year or calendar year, or durational benefit limitation or maximum for benefits or services that is not equally imposed upon all individuals in the same benefit category.

E. The requirements of this section shall apply to all insurance policies, contracts and plans delivered, issued for delivery, reissued, or extended in this Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2004, or at any time thereafter when any term of the policy, contract or plan is changed or any premium adjustment is made.

F. This section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident only, or limited or specified disease policies or contracts, nor to policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans.

2003, c. 243; 2014, c. 814.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall offer and make available coverage for medically necessary prosthetic devices, their repair, fitting, replacement, and components, as follows:

1. As used in this section:

"Component" means the materials and equipment needed to ensure the comfort and functioning of a prosthetic device.

"Limb" means an arm, a hand, a leg, a foot, or any portion of an arm, a hand, a leg, or a foot.

"Prosthetic device" means an artificial device to replace, in whole or in part, a limb.

2. Prosthetic device coverage does not include repair and replacement due to enrollee neglect, misuse, or abuse. Coverage also does not include prosthetic devices designed primarily for an athletic purpose.

3. An insurer shall not impose any annual or lifetime dollar maximum on coverage for prosthetic devices other than an annual or lifetime dollar maximum that applies in the aggregate to all items and services covered under the policy. The coverage may be made subject to, and no more restrictive than, the provisions of a health insurance policy that apply to other benefits under the policy.

4. An insurer shall not apply amounts paid for prosthetic devices to any annual or lifetime dollar maximum applicable to other durable medical equipment covered under the policy other than an annual or lifetime dollar maximum that applies in the aggregate to all items and services covered under the policy.

5. No insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization shall impose upon any person receiving benefits pursuant to this section any coinsurance in excess of 30 percent of the carrier's allowable charge for such prosthetic device or services when such device or service is provided by an in-network provider.

6. An insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization may require preauthorization to determine medical necessity and the eligibility of benefits for prosthetic devices and components, in the same manner that prior authorization is required for any other covered benefit.

B. The requirements of this section shall apply to all insurance policies, contracts, and plans delivered, issued for delivery, reissued, or extended in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2010, or at any time thereafter when any term of the policy, contract, or plan is changed or any premium adjustment is made.

C. This section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident-only, or limited or specified disease policies or contracts, nor to policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans.

2009, c. 839; 2014, c. 814.

A. As used in this section:

"Component" means the materials and equipment needed to ensure the comfort and functioning of a prosthetic device.

"Limb" means an arm, a hand, a leg, a foot, or any portion of an arm, a hand, a leg, or a foot.

"Medically necessary prosthetic device" includes any myoelectric, biomechanical, or microprocessor-controlled prosthetic device that peer-reviewed medical literature has determined to be medically appropriate on the basis of the clinical assessment of the enrollee's rehabilitation potential.

"Prosthetic device" means an artificial device to replace, in whole or in part, a limb.

B. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3418.15 or 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis, each corporation providing group accident and sickness subscription contracts, and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for medically necessary prosthetic devices and their repair, fitting, replacement, and components.

C. The coverage required under subsection B shall be subject to the following:

1. Coverage for medically necessary prosthetic devices does not include:

a. The cost of repair and replacement due to enrollee neglect, misuse, or abuse; or

b. Prosthetic devices designed primarily for an athletic purpose.

2. An insurer shall not impose any annual or lifetime dollar maximum on coverage for prosthetic devices other than an annual or lifetime dollar maximum that applies in the aggregate to all items and services covered under the policy. The coverage may be made subject to, and no more restrictive than, the provisions of a health insurance policy that apply to other benefits under the policy.

3. An insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization shall not apply amounts paid for prosthetic devices to any annual or lifetime dollar maximum applicable to other durable medical equipment covered under the policy other than an annual or lifetime dollar maximum that applies in the aggregate to all items and services covered under the policy.

4. An insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization shall not impose upon any person receiving benefits pursuant to this section any coinsurance in excess of 30 percent of the carrier's allowable charge for such prosthetic device or service when such device or service is provided by an in-network provider.

5. An insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization may require preauthorization to determine medical necessity and the eligibility of benefits for prosthetic devices and components in the same manner that prior authorization is required for any other covered benefit.

D. The provisions of this section shall apply to any policy, contract, or plan delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2023, or at any time thereafter when any term of the policy, contract, or plan is changed or any premium adjustment is made.

E. The provisions of this section shall not apply to (i) short-term travel, accident-only, or limited or specified disease policies; (ii) policies, contracts, or plans issued in the individual market or small group markets; (iii) contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, Title XIX of the Social Security Act, known as Medicaid, Title XXI of the Social Security Act, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans; or (iv) short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration.

2022, cc. 598, 599.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for the cost of such health care services provided through telemedicine services, as provided in this section.

B. As used in this section:

"Originating site" means the location where the patient is located at the time services are provided by a health care provider through telemedicine services.

"Remote patient monitoring services" means the delivery of home health services using telecommunications technology to enhance the delivery of home health care, including monitoring of clinical patient data such as weight, blood pressure, pulse, pulse oximetry, blood glucose, and other condition-specific data; medication adherence monitoring; and interactive video conferencing with or without digital image upload.

"Telemedicine services" as it pertains to the delivery of health care services, means the use of electronic technology or media, including interactive audio or video, for the purpose of diagnosing or treating a patient, providing remote patient monitoring services, or consulting with other health care providers regarding a patient's diagnosis or treatment, regardless of the originating site and whether the patient is accompanied by a health care provider at the time such services are provided. "Telemedicine services" does not include an audio-only telephone, electronic mail message, facsimile transmission, or online questionnaire. Nothing in this section shall preclude coverage for a service that is not a telemedicine service, including services delivered through real-time audio-only telephone.

C. An insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization shall not exclude a service for coverage solely because the service is provided through telemedicine services and is not provided through face-to-face consultation or contact between a health care provider and a patient for services appropriately provided through telemedicine services.

D. An insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization shall not be required to reimburse the treating provider or the consulting provider for technical fees or costs for the provision of telemedicine services; however, such insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization shall reimburse the treating provider or the consulting provider for the diagnosis, consultation, or treatment of the insured delivered through telemedicine services on the same basis that the insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization is responsible for coverage for the provision of the same service through face-to-face consultation or contact. No insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization shall require a provider to use proprietary technology or applications in order to be reimbursed for providing telemedicine services.

E. Nothing shall preclude the insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization from undertaking utilization review to determine the appropriateness of telemedicine services, provided that such appropriateness is made in the same manner as those determinations are made for the treatment of any other illness, condition, or disorder covered by such policy, contract, or plan. Any such utilization review shall not require pre-authorization of emergent telemedicine services.

F. An insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization may offer a health plan containing a deductible, copayment, or coinsurance requirement for a health care service provided through telemedicine services, provided that the deductible, copayment, or coinsurance does not exceed the deductible, copayment, or coinsurance applicable if the same services were provided through face-to-face diagnosis, consultation, or treatment.

G. No insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization shall impose any annual or lifetime dollar maximum on coverage for telemedicine services other than an annual or lifetime dollar maximum that applies in the aggregate to all items and services covered under the policy, or impose upon any person receiving benefits pursuant to this section any copayment, coinsurance, or deductible amounts, or any policy year, calendar year, lifetime, or other durational benefit limitation or maximum for benefits or services, that is not equally imposed upon all terms and services covered under the policy, contract, or plan.

H. The requirements of this section shall apply to all insurance policies, contracts, and plans delivered, issued for delivery, reissued, or extended in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2021, or at any time thereafter when any term of the policy, contract, or plan is changed or any premium adjustment is made.

I. This section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident-only, or limited or specified disease policies or contracts, nor to policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under federal governmental plans.

J. The coverage required by this section shall include the use of telemedicine technologies as it pertains to medically necessary remote patient monitoring services to the full extent that these services are available.

K. Prescribing of controlled substances via telemedicine shall comply with the requirements of § 54.1-3303 and all applicable federal law.

2010, c. 222; 2014, c. 814; 2015, cc. 32, 115; 2019, cc. 211, 219; 2020, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 44, 53; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 301, 302.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419 and any other provision of law, each insurer proposing to issue accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall, as provided in this section, provide coverage for the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and the treatment of autism spectrum disorder, in individuals (i) from January 1, 2012, until January 1, 2016, from age two years through age six years; (ii) from January 1, 2016, until January 1, 2020, from age two years through age 10 years; and (iii) from and after January 1, 2020, of any age, subject to the annual maximum benefit limitation set forth in subsection K and to the provisions of subsection G. If an individual who is being treated for autism spectrum disorder becomes older than the applicable maximum age set forth in the preceding sentence and continues to need treatment, this section does not preclude coverage of treatment and services. In addition to the requirements imposed on health insurance issuers by § 38.2-3436, an insurer shall not terminate coverage or refuse to deliver, issue, amend, adjust, or renew coverage of an individual solely because the individual is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or has received treatment for autism spectrum disorder.

B. For purposes of this section:

"Applied behavior analysis" means the design, implementation, and evaluation of environmental modifications, using behavioral stimuli and consequences, to produce socially significant improvement in human behavior, including the use of direct observation, measurement, and functional analysis of the relationship between environment and behavior.

"Autism spectrum disorder" means any pervasive developmental disorder or autism spectrum disorder, as defined in the most recent edition or the most recent edition at the time of diagnosis of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association.

"Behavioral health treatment" means professional, counseling, and guidance services and treatment programs that are necessary to develop, maintain, or restore, to the maximum extent practicable, the functioning of an individual.

"Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder" means medically necessary assessments, evaluations, or tests to diagnose whether an individual has an autism spectrum disorder.

"Medically necessary" means in accordance with the generally accepted standards of mental disorder or condition care and clinically appropriate in terms of type, frequency, site, and duration, based upon evidence and reasonably expected to do any of the following: (i) prevent the onset of an illness, condition, injury, or disability; (ii) reduce or ameliorate the physical, mental, or developmental effects of an illness, condition, injury, or disability; or (iii) assist to achieve or maintain maximum functional capacity in performing daily activities, taking into account both the functional capacity of the individual and the functional capacities that are appropriate for individuals of the same age.

"Pharmacy care" means medications prescribed by a licensed physician and any health-related services deemed medically necessary to determine the need or effectiveness of the medications.

"Psychiatric care" means direct or consultative services provided by a psychiatrist licensed in the state in which the psychiatrist practices.

"Psychological care" means direct or consultative services provided by a psychologist licensed in the state in which the psychologist practices.

"Therapeutic care" means services provided by licensed or certified speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, or clinical social workers.

"Treatment for autism spectrum disorder" shall be identified in a treatment plan and includes the following care prescribed or ordered for an individual diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder by a licensed physician or a licensed psychologist who determines the care to be medically necessary: (i) behavioral health treatment, (ii) pharmacy care, (iii) psychiatric care, (iv) psychological care, (v) therapeutic care, and (vi) applied behavior analysis when provided or supervised by a board certified behavior analyst who shall be licensed by the Board of Medicine. The prescribing practitioner shall be independent of the provider of applied behavior analysis.

"Treatment plan" means a plan for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder developed by a licensed physician or a licensed psychologist pursuant to a comprehensive evaluation or reevaluation performed in a manner consistent with the most recent clinical report or recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics or the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

C. Except for inpatient services, if an individual is receiving treatment for an autism spectrum disorder, an insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization shall have the right to request a review of that treatment, including an independent review, not more than once every 12 months unless the insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization and the individual's licensed physician or licensed psychologist agree that a more frequent review is necessary. The cost of obtaining any review, including an independent review, shall be covered under the policy, contract, or plan.

D. Coverage under this section will not be subject to any visit limits, and shall be neither different nor separate from coverage for any other illness, condition, or disorder for purposes of determining deductibles, lifetime dollar limits, copayment and coinsurance factors, and benefit year maximum for deductibles and copayment and coinsurance factors.

E. Nothing shall preclude the undertaking of usual and customary procedures, including prior authorization, to determine the appropriateness of, and medical necessity for, treatment of autism spectrum disorder under this section, provided that all such appropriateness and medical necessity determinations are made in the same manner as those determinations are made for the treatment of any other illness, condition, or disorder covered by such policy, contract, or plan.

F. The provisions of this section shall not apply to (i) short-term travel, accident only, limited, or specified disease policies; (ii) short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration; or (iii) policies or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans.

G. The requirements of this section requiring that coverage be provided with regard to individuals from age two years through age six years shall apply to all insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, reissued, or extended on or after January 1, 2012, but prior to January 1, 2016; the requirements of this section requiring that coverage be provided with regard to individuals from age two years through age 10 years shall apply to all insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, reissued, or extended on or after January 1, 2016, but prior to January 1, 2020; the requirements of this section requiring that coverage be provided with regard to individuals of any age shall apply to all insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, reissued, or extended on or after January 1, 2020, and to all such policies, contracts, or plans to which a term is changed or any premium adjustment is made on or after such date; and the requirements of this section requiring that coverage be provided by policies, contracts, or plans issued in the individual market or small group markets shall apply to all insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans in the individual and small group markets delivered, issued for delivery, reissued, or extended on or after January 1, 2021, and to all such policies, contracts, or plans to which a term is changed or any premium adjustment is made on or after such date.

H. Any coverage required pursuant to this section shall be in addition to the coverage required by § 38.2-3418.5 and other provisions of law. This section shall not be construed as diminishing any coverage required by § 38.2-3412.1. This section shall not be construed as affecting any obligation to provide services to an individual under an individualized family service plan, an individualized education program, or an individualized service plan.

I. Pursuant to the provisions of § 2.2-2818.2, this section shall apply to health coverage offered to state employees pursuant to § 2.2-2818 and to health insurance coverage offered to employees of local governments, local officers, teachers, and retirees, and the dependents of such employees, teachers, and retirees pursuant to § 2.2-1204.

J. Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary:

1. An insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization, or a governmental entity providing coverage for such treatment pursuant to subsection I, is exempt from providing coverage for behavioral health treatment required under this section and not covered by the insurer, corporation, health maintenance organization, or governmental entity providing coverage for such treatment pursuant to subsection I as of December 31, 2011, if:

a. An actuary, affiliated with the insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization, who is a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and meets the American Academy of Actuaries' professional qualification standards for rendering an actuarial opinion related to health insurance rate making, certifies in writing to the Commissioner of Insurance that:

(1) Based on an analysis to be completed no more frequently than one time per year by each insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization, or such governmental entity, for the most recent experience period of at least one year's duration, the costs associated with coverage of behavioral health treatment required under this section, and not covered as of December 31, 2011, exceeded one percent of the premiums charged over the experience period by the insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization; and

(2) Those costs solely would lead to an increase in average premiums charged of more than one percent for all insurance policies, subscription contracts, or health care plans commencing on inception or the next renewal date, based on the premium rating methodology and practices the insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization, or such governmental entity, employs; and

b. The Commissioner approves the certification of the actuary;

2. An exemption allowed under subdivision 1 shall apply for a one-year coverage period following inception or next renewal date of all insurance policies, subscription contracts, or health care plans issued or renewed during the one-year period following the date of the exemption, after which the insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization, or such governmental entity, shall again provide coverage for behavioral health treatment required under this section;

3. An insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization, or such governmental entity, may claim an exemption for a subsequent year, but only if the conditions specified in subdivision 1 again are met; and

4. Notwithstanding the exemption allowed under subdivision 1, an insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization, or such a governmental entity, may elect to continue to provide coverage for behavioral health treatment required under this section.

K. Coverage for applied behavior analysis under this section will be subject to an annual maximum benefit of $35,000, unless the insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization elects to provide coverage in a greater amount.

L. As of January 1, 2014, to the extent that this section requires benefits that exceed the essential health benefits specified under § 1302(b) of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), as amended (the ACA), the specific benefits that exceed the specified essential health benefits shall not be required of a qualified health plan when the plan is offered in the Commonwealth by a health carrier through a health benefit exchange established under § 1311 of the ACA. Nothing in this subsection shall nullify application of this section to plans offered outside such an exchange.

2011, cc. 876, 878; 2015, cc. 649, 650; 2019, cc. 451, 452; 2020, cc. 305, 613; 2022, cc. 101, 102.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services, whose policy, contract, or plan, including any certificate or evidence of coverage issued in connection with such policy, contract, or plan, includes coverage for medicines shall:

1. Classify medically necessary formula and enteral nutrition products as medicine; and

2. Include coverage for medically necessary formula and enteral nutrition products on the same terms and subject to the same conditions imposed on other medicines covered under the policy, contract, or plan.

B. As used in this section:

"Inherited metabolic disorder" means an inherited enzymatic disorder caused by single gene defects involved in the metabolism of amino, organic, or fatty acids.

"Medically necessary formula and enteral nutrition products" means any liquid or solid formulation of formula and enteral nutrition products for covered individuals requiring treatment for an inherited metabolic disorder and for which the covered individual's physician has issued a written order stating that the formula or enteral nutrition product is medically necessary and has been proven effective as a treatment regimen for the covered individual and that the formula or enteral nutrition product is a critical source of nutrition as certified by the physician by diagnosis. The medically necessary formula or enteral products do not need to be the covered individual's primary source of nutrition.

C. The coverage required by this section shall:

1. Apply to the partial or exclusive feeding of a covered individual by means of oral intake or enteral feeding by tube;

2. Include coverage for any medical equipment, supplies, and services that are required to administer the covered formula or enteral nutrition products;

3. Apply only when the formula and enteral nutrition products are (i) furnished pursuant to the prescription or order of a physician or other health care professional qualified to make such prescription or order for the management of an inherited metabolic disorder and (ii) used under medical supervision, which may include a home setting; and

4. Not apply to nutritional supplements taken electively.

D. No insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization shall impose upon any person receiving benefits for any formula and enteral nutrition products pursuant to this section any (i) copayment, coinsurance payment, or fee that is not equally imposed upon all individuals in the same benefit category, class, coinsurance level, or copayment level receiving benefits for medicines or (ii) reduction in allowable reimbursement for medicine.

E. The provisions of this section shall apply to any policy, contract, or plan delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2021.

F. The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident-only, or limited or specified disease policies, contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans, or short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration.

2020, cc. 214, 215.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services, whose policy, contract, or plan, including any certificate or evidence of coverage issued in connection with such policy, contract, or plan, includes coverage for medicines shall:

1. Classify medically necessary formula and enteral nutrition products as medicine; and

2. Include coverage for medically necessary formula and enteral nutrition products on the same terms and subject to the same conditions imposed on other medicines covered under the policy, contract, or plan.

B. As used in this section:

"Inherited metabolic disorder" means an inherited enzymatic disorder caused by single gene defects involved in the metabolism of amino, organic, or fatty acids.

"Medically necessary formula and enteral nutrition products" means any liquid or solid formulation of formula and enteral nutrition products for covered individuals requiring treatment for an inherited metabolic disorder and for which the covered individual's physician has issued a written order stating that the formula or enteral nutrition product is medically necessary and has been proven effective as a treatment regimen for the covered individual and that the formula or enteral nutrition product is a critical source of nutrition as certified by the physician by diagnosis. The medically necessary formula or enteral products do not need to be the covered individual's primary source of nutrition.

C. The coverage required by this section shall:

1. Apply to the partial or exclusive feeding of a covered individual by means of oral intake or enteral feeding by tube;

2. Include coverage for any medical equipment, supplies, and services that are required to administer the covered formula or enteral nutrition products;

3. Apply only when the formula and enteral nutrition products are (i) furnished pursuant to the prescription or order of a physician or other health care professional qualified to make such prescription or order for the management of an inherited metabolic disorder and (ii) used under medical supervision, which may include a home setting; and

4. Not apply to nutritional supplements taken electively.

D. No insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization shall impose upon any person receiving benefits for any formula and enteral nutrition products pursuant to this section any (i) copayment, coinsurance payment, or fee that is not equally imposed upon all individuals in the same benefit category, class, coinsurance level, or copayment level receiving benefits for medicines or (ii) reduction in allowable reimbursement for medicine.

E. The provisions of this section shall apply to any policy, contract, or plan delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2021.

F. The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident-only, or limited or specified disease policies, contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans, or short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration. The provisions of this section shall not apply to policies, contracts, or plans issued in the individual market or small group markets.

2020, cc. 214, 215; 2023, cc. 271, 272.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-4319, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services, whose policy, contract, or plan, including any certificate of evidence of coverage issued in connection with such policy, contract, or plan, includes coverage for services related to organ, eye, or tissue transplantation as defined in § 32.1-297.2 shall not:

1. Deny coverage to a covered person solely on the basis of the person's disability;

2. Deny a person eligibility or continued eligibility to enroll in or to renew coverage under the policy, contract, or plan for the purpose of avoiding the requirements of § 32.1-297.2;

3. Penalize a health care provider, reduce or limit the reimbursement of a health care provider, or provide monetary or nonmonetary incentives to a health care provider to induce such health care provider to act in a manner inconsistent with the requirements of § 32.1-297.2; or

4. Reduce or limit coverage for services related to organ, eye, or tissue transplant as defined in § 32.1-297.2 for an eligible individual with a disability as defined in § 32.1-297.2.

B. The provisions of this section shall apply to any policy, contract, or plan delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2021.

C. The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident-only, or limited or specified disease policies; contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal government plans; or short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration.

D. Nothing in this section shall require an insurer to provide coverage for a medically inappropriate organ, eye or tissue transplant.

2020, cc. 217, 218, § 38.2-3418.18.

A. As used in this section:

"Hearing aid" means any wearable, nondisposable instrument or device designed or offered to aid or compensate for impaired human hearing and any parts, attachments, or accessories, including earmolds, but excluding batteries and cords. Hearing aids are not to be considered durable medical equipment.

"Related services" includes earmolds, initial batteries, and other necessary equipment, maintenance, and adaptation training.

B. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for hearing aids and related services for children 18 years of age or younger under any policy, contract, or plan delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth. The coverage shall include payment of the cost of one hearing aid per hearing-impaired ear every 24 months, up to $1,500 per hearing aid. The insured may choose a higher-priced hearing aid and may pay the difference in cost above $1,500, with no financial or contractual penalty to the insured or to the provider of the hearing aid.

C. No insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization shall impose upon any person receiving benefits pursuant to this section any copayment or fee, and no condition may be applied to the person that is not equally imposed upon all individuals in the same benefit category.

D. Coverage shall be available under this section only for services and equipment recommended by an otolaryngologist. Such recommended services and equipment may be provided or dispensed by an otolaryngologist, licensed audiologist, or licensed hearing aid specialist.

E. The provisions of this section shall apply to any policy, contract, or plan delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2021.

F. The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident-only, limited or specified disease policies, or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans or to short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration.

2020, c. 1094, see 2020, c. 1289, item 487, subdivs. C1, C2, and C3.

A. As used in this section:

"Hearing aid" means any wearable, nondisposable instrument or device designed or offered to aid or compensate for impaired human hearing and any parts, attachments, or accessories, including earmolds, but excluding batteries and cords. Hearing aids are not to be considered durable medical equipment.

"Related services" includes earmolds, initial batteries, and other necessary equipment, maintenance, and adaptation training.

B. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, subdivision A 1 of § 38.2-6506, or any other provision of law, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for hearing aids and related services for children 18 years of age or younger under any policy, contract, or plan delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth. The coverage shall include payment of the cost of one hearing aid per hearing-impaired ear every 24 months, up to $1,500 per hearing aid. The insured may choose a higher-priced hearing aid and may pay the difference in cost above $1,500, with no financial or contractual penalty to the insured or to the provider of the hearing aid.

C. No insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization shall impose upon any person receiving benefits pursuant to this section any copayment or fee, and no condition may be applied to the person that is not equally imposed upon all individuals in the same benefit category.

D. Coverage shall be available under this section only for services and equipment recommended by an otolaryngologist. Such recommended services and equipment may be provided or dispensed by an otolaryngologist, licensed audiologist, or licensed hearing aid specialist.

E. The provisions of this section shall apply to any policy, contract, or plan delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2024.

F. The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident-only, limited or specified disease policies, or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans or to short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration.

G. The Commission shall not use any special fund revenues dedicated to its other functions and duties, including revenues from utility consumer taxes or fees from licensees regulated by the Commission or fees paid to the office of the clerk of the Commission, to fund the defrayal of costs for the coverage provided pursuant to subsection B as required by 42 U.S.C. § 18031 or any successor provision. The Commission shall not pay any funds beyond the moneys appropriated for the defrayal of costs related to such coverage. Appropriated funds remaining at year end shall not revert to the general fund but shall remain with the Commission for defrayal of costs related to this coverage.

2023, c. 473.

Any new or existing group policy or contract holder for whom coverage under an accident and sickness insurance policy is issued or renewed by an insurer or for whom coverage under a contract is issued or renewed by a corporation licensed pursuant to Chapter 42 (§ 38.2-4200 et seq.) of this title, shall be given the option to purchase any coverage, benefits or services first mandated under this chapter on or after July 1, 1982, provided that all mandated coverages as of June 30, 1982, will not be affected.

1982, c. 577, § 38.1-348.14; 1986, c. 562.

A. Beginning with the calendar year 1991, every insurer, health services plan, and health maintenance organization from which a report is deemed necessary under regulations adopted by the Commission shall report to the Commission cost and utilization information for each of the mandated benefits and providers set forth in this article. The reporting period shall be as determined by the Commission in its regulations, but not less often than biennially. Each report shall be submitted no later than the next May 1 following the reporting period. The reports shall be in detail and form as required under regulations adopted by the Commission so as to provide the information deemed necessary by the Commission to determine the financial impact of each mandated benefit and provider.

B. The Commission shall prepare a consolidation of these reports to provide to the General Assembly such information concerning the costs of mandated benefits, the utilization of services under mandated benefits, and such other information as the Commission or the General Assembly may deem appropriate. Such consolidated reports shall be submitted to the General Assembly no later than the next October 31 following the reporting period.

1990, cc. 393, 439; 1994, c. 316.