§ 27-20-42 — § 27-20-42. Acupuncture services.

Rhode Island § 27-20-42

• Jurisdiction: Rhode Island
• Title 27: Insurance
• Ch. 27-20: Nonprofit Medical Service Corporations

Text

§ 27-20-42. Acupuncture services.

(a) Every group health insurance contract, plan, or group policy delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state that provides medical coverage, and every group policy that provides for treatment of persons for the prevention, cure, or correction of any illness or physical or mental condition shall provide, as an optional rider, coverage for the services of a doctor of acupuncture as a provider of acupuncture services.

(b) For the purposes of this section:

(1) "Coverage for the services of a doctor of acupuncture as a provider of acupuncture servicesâ€� means coverage for acupuncture as defined in § 5-37.2-2(1).

(2) "Doctor of acupuncture� means a practitioner licensed under chapter 37.2 of title 5.

(c) It remains within the sole discretion of the nonprofit medical service corporation as to which doctor of acupuncture it contracts with. Reimbursement shall be provided according to the respective principles and policies of the nonprofit medical service corporation; provided, that no nonprofit medical service corporation may be required to pay for duplicative services actually rendered by a doctor of acupuncture and any other healthcare provider. Nothing contained in this section precludes nonprofit medical service corporations from conducting managed care, medical necessity, or utilization review.

Legislative History

P.L. 1999, ch. 288, § 3.