Senate Bill No. 487

(By Senator Bowman)

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[Introduced February 20, 1995; referred to the Committee
on Banking and Insurance.]
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A BILL to amend article fifteen, chapter thirty-three of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated section twenty; to amend article sixteen of said chapter by adding thereto a new section, designated section fifteen; and to amend article sixteen-c of said chapter by adding thereto a new section, designated section eleven, all relating to insurance policies; and prohibiting insurers from restricting an insured's choice of where prescription drugs are purchased.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article fifteen, chapter thirty-three of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section twenty; that article sixteen of said chapter be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section fifteen; and to amend article sixteen-c of said chapter by adding thereto a new section, designated section eleven, all to read as follows:

ARTICLE 15. ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS INSURANCE.

§33-15-20. Hospital indemnity policies not to restrict where insured may purchase prescription drugs.

No policy providing hospital indemnity coverage may restrict where an insured may purchase prescription drugs.
ARTICLE 16. GROUP ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS INSURANCE.

§33-16-15. Group accident and sickness policies not to restrict where insured may purchase prescription drugs.

No policy providing group accident and sickness coverage may restrict where an insured may purchase prescription drugs.
ARTICLE 16C. EMPLOYER GROUP ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS INSURANCE POLICIES.

§33-16C-11. Employer group accident and sickness policies not to restrict where insured may purchase prescription drugs.

No policy providing employer group accident and sickness coverage may restrict where an insured may purchase prescription drugs.



NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to prohibit insurers from restricting an insured's choice of where prescription drugs are purchased.

§33-15-20, §33-16-15 and §33-16C-11 are new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.