§ 44-797. Coverage for breast reconstruction; requirements; exceptions.
Some health insurance and similar contracts must cover breast reconstruction and related care after a mastectomy, send required notices, and avoid certain denial or reimbursement practices.
(1)(a) Any individual or group sickness and accident insurance policy, subscriber contract, or group health maintenance organization contract that provides medical and surgical benefits with respect to a mastectomy shall provide, in a case of a participant or beneficiary who is receiving benefits in connection with a mastectomy and who elects breast reconstruction in connection with such mastectomy, coverage for all stages of reconstruction of the breast on which the mastectomy has been performed, surgery and reconstruction of the other breast to produce a symmetrical appearance, and prostheses and physical complications of mastectomy, including lymphedemas in a manner determined in consultation with the attending physician and the patient. Such coverage may be subject to annual deductibles and coinsurance provisions as may be deemed appropriate and as are consistent with those established for other benefits under the individual or group sickness and accident insurance policy, subscriber contract, or group health maintenance organization contract. Written notice of the availability of such coverage shall be delivered to the participant upon enrollment and annually thereafter. (b) Each individual or group sickness and accident insurance policy, subscriber contract, or group health maintenance organization contract shall provide notice to each policyholder and certificate holder of the coverage required by this section. Such notice shall be in writing and prominently positioned in any literature or correspondence made available or distributed by the plan or issuer. For group policies, such notice shall be sent to the policyholder or certificate holder by the plan or to the participant or beneficiary by the issuer. For individual policies, such notice shall be sent to the policyholder by the issuer no later than December 31, 2006. (2) No individual or group sickness and accident insurance policy, subscriber contract, or group health maintenance organization contract may deny to a patient eligibility, or continued eligibility, to enroll or to renew coverage under the terms of the plan, solely for the purpose of avoiding the requirements of this section, or penalize or otherwise reduce or limit the reimbursement of an attending provider, or provide monetary or other incentives to an attending provider, to induce such provider to provide care to an individual participant or beneficiary in a manner inconsistent with this section. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit normal underwriting. (3) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent an individual or group sickness and accident insurance policy, subscriber contract, or group health maintenance organization contract offering health insurance coverage from negotiating the level and type of reimbursement with a provider for care provided in accordance with this section. (4) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any individual or group policy or certificate which provides: (a) Coverage only for accident or disability income insurance, or any combination thereof; (b) Coverage issued as a supplement to liability insurance; (c) Liability insurance, including general liability insurance and automobile liability insurance; (d) Workers' compensation or similar insurance; (e) Automobile medical payment insurance; (f) Credit-only insurance; (g) Coverage for onsite medical clinics; (h) Other similar insurance coverage, specified in federal regulations, under which benefits for medical care are secondary or incidental to other insurance benefits; (i) Limited-scope dental or vision benefits; (j) Benefits for long-term care, nursing home care, home health care, community-based care, or any combination thereof; (k) Such other similar, limited benefits as are specified in federal regulations; (l) Coverage only for a specified disease or illness; (m) Hospital indemnity or other fixed indemnity insurance; (n) Medicare supplemental health insurance as defined under section 1882(g)(1) of the Social Security Act, as such section existed on January 1, 2005; (o) Coverage supplemental to the coverage provided under 10 U.S.C. chapter 55, as such chapter existed on January 1, 2005; and (p) Similar supplemental coverage provided to coverage under a group health plan. History: Laws 2000, LB 930, § 4; Laws 2005, LB 119, § 9.