HCS CSSB 253(HES): "An Act relating to insurance coverage for costs of prostate cancer or cervical cancer detection."
00HOUSE CS FOR CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 253(HES) 01 "An Act relating to insurance coverage for costs of prostate cancer or cervical 02 cancer detection." 03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 * Section 1. AS 21.42 is amended by adding a new section to read: 05 Sec. 21.42.395. COVERAGE FOR PROSTATE AND CERVICAL CANCER 06 DETECTION. (a) An insurer authorized under AS 21.09 to offer, issue for delivery, 07 deliver, or renew an individual or group disability insurance policy for medical 08 coverage on an expense incurred basis in the state, a hospital or medical service 09 corporation authorized under AS 21.87 to offer or renew a subscriber's contract for 10 medical coverage in the state, or a health maintenance organization authorized under 11 AS 21.86 to offer an enrollee contract to provide health care services on a prepaid 12 basis shall offer coverage for the costs of prostate cancer screening tests as required 13 under the schedule described under (b) of this section, and shall offer coverage for the 14 costs of cervical cancer screening tests as required under (c) of this section. The
01 coverage required to be offered by this section is subject to standard policy provisions 02 applicable to other benefits including deductible or copayment provisions. If a 03 physician recommends that an insured, subscriber, or enrollee undergo prostate cancer 04 screening by taking a prostate antigen blood test, coverage may not be denied because 05 the insured, subscriber, or enrollee has already had a digital rectal exam and the exam 06 results were negative. 07 (b) The minimum coverage required to be offered under (a) of this section 08 includes an annual prostate cancer screening test for a person who is 09 (1) at least 40 years of age but less than 50 years of age and the person 10 is in a high risk group; in this paragraph, "high risk" means a person who is an 11 African-American or who has a family history of prostate cancer; or 12 (2) 50 or more years of age. 13 (c) The minimum coverage required to be offered under (a) of this section for 14 cervical cancer screening is an annual pap smear cancer screening test for a person 15 who is 18 or more years of age. 16 (d) This section does not apply to a supplemental insurance contract covering 17 a specified disease or offering limited benefits. 18 (e) In this section, "prostate cancer screening tests" includes a prostate antigen 19 blood test or another test that is equivalent or better in cancer detection. 20 * Sec. 2. This Act applies to a policy of insurance entered into or renewed on or after the 21 effective date of this Act.