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<section article="gin" article_name="Insurance" number="15-709" title_number="15" title_name="Health Insurance" subtitle_number="7" subtitle_name="Required Reimbursement for Services of Health Care Providers">
  <level label="a">
    <text>In this section, “nurse midwife” means a licensed registered nurse who is certified as a nurse midwife by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>Each insurer that proposes to issue, renew, amend, or reissue an individual, group, or blanket health insurance policy in the State that is written on an expense-incurred basis shall offer the option of providing benefits for expenses that arise from services rendered by a nurse midwife.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>Each nonprofit health service plan that proposes to issue, renew, amend, or reissue a health insurance policy in the State shall offer the option of providing benefits for expenses that arise from services rendered by a nurse midwife.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <level label="1">
      <text>This subsection applies to each individual, group, or blanket health insurance policy, contract, or certificate of an insurer or nonprofit health service plan that:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <level label="1">
          <text>is issued or delivered in the State;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>is issued to a group that is incorporated or has a main office in the State; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>covers individuals who reside or work in the State;</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>is issued, renewed, amended, or reissued on or after July 1, 1979; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>if issued by an insurer, is written on an expense-incurred basis.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Notwithstanding any other provision of a policy, contract, or certificate subject to this subsection, if the policy, contract, or certificate provides for reimbursement for a service that is within the lawful scope of practice of a nurse midwife, the insured or any other person covered by the policy, contract, or certificate is entitled to reimbursement for the service regardless of whether the service is performed by a physician or nurse midwife.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>A policy that provides benefits under this section for services rendered by a nurse midwife may not require, as a condition for the payment of benefits, that the nurse midwife be employed by a physician or act under a physician’s orders.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <text>The utilization of health insurance benefits provided under this section for services rendered by a nurse midwife is subject to review by a peer review committee appointed by the State Board of Nursing.</text>
  </level>
</section>
