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.
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