Rhode Island § 27-18-33.1 § 27-18-33.1. Insurance coverage for postpartum hospital stays.

Rhode Island Statutes

§ 27-18-33.1 — § 27-18-33.1. Insurance coverage for postpartum hospital stays.

Rhode Island § 27-18-33.1

Title 27Insurance

Ch. 27-18Accident and Sickness Insurance Policies

This text of Rhode Island § 27-18-33.1 (§ 27-18-33.1. Insurance coverage for postpartum hospital stays.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Rhode Island primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-18-33.1 (2026).

Text

§ 27-18-33.1. Insurance coverage for postpartum hospital stays.
(a) Every individual or group hospital or medical services plan contract delivered, issued
            for delivery, as renewed in this state that provides maternity benefits shall provide
            coverage for a forty-eight-hour (48) time period in a hospital after a vaginal birth
            and ninety-six (96) hours after a Cesarean section for a mother and her newly born
            child. Any decision to shorten this minimum coverage shall be made by the attending
            healthcare provider in consultation with the mother. The decision shall be made in
            accordance with the standards for guidelines for perinatal care published 

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§ 27-18-33.1. Insurance coverage for postpartum hospital stays.

(a) Every individual or group hospital or medical services plan contract delivered, issued for delivery, as renewed in this state that provides maternity benefits shall provide coverage for a forty-eight-hour (48) time period in a hospital after a vaginal birth and ninety-six (96) hours after a Cesarean section for a mother and her newly born child. Any decision to shorten this minimum coverage shall be made by the attending healthcare provider in consultation with the mother. The decision shall be made in accordance with the standards for guidelines for perinatal care published by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The standards shall be relative to early discharge, defined as less than forty-eight (48) hours for a vaginal delivery and ninety-six (96) hours for a Cesarean delivery. In the case of early discharge, post-delivery care shall include: home visits, parent education, assistance and training in breast or bottle feeding, and the performance of any necessary and appropriate clinical tests or any other tests or services consistent with these guidelines.

(b) For the purposes of this section, "attending healthcare providerâ€� includes the attending obstetrician, pediatrician, family practitioner, general practitioner, or certified nurse midwife attending the mother and newly born child.

(c) Any subscriber who is aggrieved by a denial of benefits to be provided under this section may appeal the denial in accordance with regulations of the department of health, which have been promulgated pursuant to chapter 17.12 of title 23 [repealed]. No policy or plan covered under this chapter shall terminate the services, reduce capitation payment, or penalize an attending physician or other healthcare provider who orders care consistent with the provisions of this section.