SB 265: "An Act relating to physician assistants; providing that a physician assistant is a health care provider covered by certain laws relating to medical malpractice actions; adding physician assistants to the list of providers against whom unfair discrimination relating to health care insurance is prohibited and to the list of providers who can provide proof of disablement or handicap for the purpose of obtaining a special parking permit; and providing for an effective date."
00 SENATE BILL NO. 265 01 "An Act relating to physician assistants; providing that a physician assistant is a health 02 care provider covered by certain laws relating to medical malpractice actions; adding 03 physician assistants to the list of providers against whom unfair discrimination relating 04 to health care insurance is prohibited and to the list of providers who can provide proof 05 of disablement or handicap for the purpose of obtaining a special parking permit; and 06 providing for an effective date." 07 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 08 * Section 1. AS 09.55.560(1) is amended to read: 09 (1) "health care provider" means an acupuncturist licensed under 10 AS 08.06; an audiologist or speech-language pathologist licensed under AS 08.11; a 11 chiropractor licensed under AS 08.20; a dental hygienist licensed under AS 08.32; a 12 dentist licensed under AS 08.36; a nurse licensed under AS 08.68; a dispensing 13 optician licensed under AS 08.71; a naturopath licensed under AS 08.45; an
01 optometrist licensed under AS 08.72; a pharmacist licensed under AS 08.80; a 02 physical therapist or occupational therapist licensed under AS 08.84; a physician or 03 physician assistant licensed under AS 08.64; a podiatrist; a psychologist and a 04 psychological associate licensed under AS 08.86; a hospital as defined in 05 AS 18.20.130, including a governmentally owned or operated hospital; an employee 06 of a health care provider acting within the course and scope of employment; an 07 ambulatory surgical facility and other organizations whose primary purpose is the 08 delivery of health care, including a health maintenance organization, individual 09 practice association, integrated delivery system, preferred provider organization or 10 arrangement, and a physical hospital organization; 11 * Sec. 2. AS 21.36.090(d) is amended to read: 12 (d) Except to the extent necessary to comply with AS 21.42.365 and 13 AS 21.56, a person may not practice or permit unfair discrimination against a person 14 who provides a service covered under a group health insurance policy that extends 15 coverage on an expense incurred basis, or under a group service or indemnity type 16 contract issued by a health maintenance organization or a nonprofit corporation, if the 17 service is within the scope of the provider's occupational license. In this subsection, 18 "provider" means a state licensed physician, physician assistant, dentist, osteopath, 19 optometrist, chiropractor, nurse midwife, advanced nurse practitioner, naturopath, 20 physical therapist, occupational therapist, marital and family therapist, psychologist, 21 psychological associate, [OR] licensed clinical social worker, or certified direct-entry 22 midwife. 23 * Sec. 3. AS 28.10.495(c) is amended to read: 24 (c) Proof of disablement or medical handicap, for the purpose of this section, 25 shall be the same as that required for the purposes of AS 28.10.181(d) except that, for 26 purposes of this section, the proof may be provided by a person licensed as a 27 physician or physician assistant under AS 08.64 or by a person licensed as an 28 advanced nurse practitioner under AS 08.68. 29 * Sec. 4. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 30 read: 31 APPLICABILITY. AS 21.36.090(d), as amended by sec. 2 of this Act, applies to a
01 policy of insurance or group service or indemnity type contract issued or renewed on or after 02 January 1, 2003. 03 * Sec. 5. Sections 2 and 4 of this Act take effect January 1, 2003.