HB 159: breast reconstructive surgery

By Samuel T. Britton

Requires all health maintenance organization contracts and all policies of sickness and accident insurance that provide coverage for a mastectomy to also provide coverage for breast reconstructive surgery incidental to a mastectomy.

The bill applies to all health maintenance organization contracts and sickness and accident insurance policies delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in Ohio on or after the bill's effective date. The bill provides that its requirements are to apply notwithstanding section 3901.71 of the Revised Code, a section that would otherwise require the Superintendent of Insurance to review the bill's benefit mandate to determine whether the mandate could be applied fully and equally to benefit plans subject ro regulation by the federal Employee Retirement income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).