(a)  No health care service plan contract that is issued, amended, renewed, or delivered on or after the effective date of the act adding this section, that provides maternity coverage, shall do any of the following:

(1)  Restrict benefits for inpatient hospital care to a time period less than 48 hours following a normal vaginal delivery and less than 96 hours following a delivery by caesarean section. However, coverage for inpatient hospital care may be for a time period less than 48 or 96 hours if both of the following conditions are met:

(A)  The decision to discharge the mother and newborn before the 48- or 96-hour time period is made by the treating physicians in consultation with the mother.

(B)  The contract covers a postdischarge followup visit for the mother and newborn within 48 hours of discharge, when prescribed by the treating physician. The visit shall be provided by a licensed health care provider whose scope of practice includes postpartum care and newborn care. The visit shall include, at a minimum, parent education, assistance and training in breast or bottle feeding, and the performance of any necessary maternal or neonatal physical assessments. The treating physician shall disclose to the mother the availability of a postdischarge visit, including an in-home visit, physician office visit, or plan facility visit. The treating physician, in consultation with the mother, shall determine whether the postdischarge visit shall occur at home, the plan’s facility, or the treating physician’s office after assessment of certain factors. These factors shall include, but not be limited to, the transportation needs of the family, and environmental and social risks.

(2)  Reduce or limit the reimbursement of the attending provider for providing care to an individual enrollee in accordance with the coverage requirements.

(3)  Provide monetary or other incentives to an attending provider to induce the provider to provide care to an individual enrollee in a manner inconsistent with the coverage requirements.

(4)  Deny a mother or her newborn eligibility, or continued eligibility, to enroll or to renew coverage solely to avoid the coverage requirements.

(5)  Provide monetary payments or rebates to a mother to encourage her to accept less than the minimum coverage requirements.

(6)  Restrict inpatient benefits for the second day of hospital care in a manner that is less than favorable to the mother or her newborn than those provided during the preceding portion of the hospital stay.

(7)  Require the treating physician to obtain authorization from the health care service plan prior to prescribing any services covered by this section.

(b)  (1)  Every health care service plan shall include notice of the coverage specified in subdivision (a) in the plan’s evidence of coverage for evidences of coverage issued on or after January 1, 1998, and except as specified in paragraph (2), shall provide additional written notice of this coverage during the course of the enrollee’s prenatal care. The contract may require the treating physician or the enrollee’s medical group to provide this additional written notice of coverage during the course of the enrollee’s prenatal care.

(2)  Health care service plans that issue contracts that provide for coverage of the type commonly referred to as “preferred provider organizations” shall provide additional written notice to all females between the ages of 10 and 50 who are covered by those contracts of the coverage under subdivision (a) within 60 days of the effective date of this act. The plan shall provide additional written notice of the coverage specified in subdivision (a) during the course of prenatal care if both of the following conditions are met:

(A)  The plan previously notified subscribers that hospital stays for delivery would be inconsistent with the requirement in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a).

(B)  The plan received notice, whether by receipt of a claim, a request for preauthorization for pregnancy-related services, or other actual notice that the enrollee is pregnant.

(c)  Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a plan from negotiating the level and type of reimbursement with a provider for care provided in accordance with this section.

(Amended by Stats. 1997, Ch. 798, Sec. 1. Effective October 9, 1997.)