135-48.50. Coverage mandates.

The Plan shall provide coverage subject to the following coverage mandates:

(1) Abortion coverage. - The Plan shall not provide coverage for abortions for which State funds could not be used under G.S. 143C-6-5.5. The Plan shall, however, provide coverage for subsequent complications or related charges arising from an abortion not covered under this subdivision.

(2) Immunizations. - The Plan shall pay one hundred percent (100%) of allowable medical charges for immunizations for the prevention of contagious diseases as generally accepted medical practices would dictate when directed by a credentialed provider as determined by the claims processor.

(3) Insulin. - Prescription benefits shall be provided for insulin even though a prescription is not required.

(4) Mental health parity. - Benefits for the treatment of mental illness and chemical dependency are covered by the Plan and shall be subject to the same deductibles, durational limits, and coinsurance factors as are benefits for physical illness generally. Nothing in this subdivision, however, shall prohibit the Plan from requiring the most cost-effective treatment setting to be utilized by a person undergoing necessary care and treatment for chemical dependency.

(5) [Reserved.]

(6) Permissive coverage extension. - If a covered service becomes excluded from coverage under the Plan, the Executive Administrator and Claims Processor may, in the event of exceptional situations creating undue hardships or adverse medical conditions, allow persons enrolled in the Plan to remain covered by the Plan's previous coverage for up to three months after the effective date of the change in coverage, provided the persons so enrolled had been undergoing a continuous plan of specific treatment initiated within three months prior to the effective date of the change in coverage.

(7) Reconstructive surgery. - Charges for cosmetic surgery or treatment required for correction of damage caused by accidental injury sustained by the covered individual while coverage under this plan is in force on his or her account or to correct congenital deformities or anomalies shall not be excluded if they otherwise qualify as covered medical expenses. Reconstructive breast surgery following mastectomy, as those terms are defined in G.S. 58-51-62, shall be covered.