PRINTER'S NO. 2331
No. 1822 Session of 1989
INTRODUCED BY WESTON, JOHNSON, KOSINSKI, BELFANTI, JACKSON, JOSEPHS, ALLEN, NAHILL, J. L. WRIGHT, ROBINSON, TRELLO, RAYMOND, E. Z. TAYLOR, LEVDANSKY, MICHLOVIC, McHALE, OLASZ, WILLIAMS, TIGUE, J. TAYLOR, FREEMAN, RITTER, JAMES, ITKIN, MAIALE, MELIO, HOWLETT, KASUNIC AND FLICK, JUNE 30, 1989
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INSURANCE, JUNE 30, 1989
AN ACT 1 Requiring health insurers to cover certain adopted children. 2 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 3 hereby enacts as follows: 4 Section 1. Family coverage to include newborn or newly adopted 5 children. 6 All group or individual health or sickness or accident 7 insurance policies providing hospital or medical or surgical 8 coverage and all group subscriber contracts or certificates 9 providing hospital or medical or surgical coverage which are 10 issued by any entity subject to this act, to 40 Pa.C.S. Ch. 61 11 (relating to hospital plan corporations) or Ch. 63 (relating to 12 professional health services plan corporations), to the act of 13 December 29, 1972 (P.L.1701, No.364), known as the Health 14 Maintenance Organization Act, or to the act of July 29, 1977 15 (P.L.105, No.38), known as the Fraternal Benefit Society Code, 16 shall provide that the health insurance benefits applicable for
1 children are payable with respect to a newly born child of the 2 insured or subscriber from the moment of birth or to a newly 3 adopted child of the insured or subscriber from the beginning of 4 legal custody or from the date of a signed placement agreement. 5 All such policies and contracts issued prior to the effective 6 date of this act shall, upon their next anniversary date, also 7 provide that the health insurance benefits applicable for 8 children are payable with respect to a newly born child of the 9 insured or subscriber from the moment of birth or to a newly 10 adopted child of the insured or subscriber from the beginning of 11 legal custody or from the date of a signed placement agreement. 12 Section 2. Premature birth and congenital defects covered. 13 The coverage for a newly born child from the moment of birth 14 or for a newly adopted child from the beginning of legal custody 15 or from the date of a signed placement agreement shall consist 16 of coverage of injury or sickness, including the necessary care 17 and treatment of premature birth and medically diagnosed 18 congenital defects and birth abnormalities. 19 Section 3. Effective date. 20 This act shall take effect in 60 days. E2L35DGS/19890H1822B2331 - 2 -