Current Status Bill Number:26 Type of Legislation:General Bill GB Introducing Body:Senate Introduced Date:19970114 Primary Sponsor:Washington All Sponsors:Washington Drafted Document Number:bbm\10985ac.97 Residing Body:Senate Current Committee:Banking and Insurance Committee 02 SBI Subject:Mastectomy, health insurance policies to provide payment for hospitalization of patient by physician, medical
Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved
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Senate 19970114 Introduced, read first time, 02 SBI
referred to Committee
View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.
TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 38-71-130 SO AS TO REQUIRE ALL INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE AND HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATION POLICIES TO PROVIDE PAYMENT FOR HOSPITALIZATION OF A PATIENT, IF AT THE DISCRETION OF THE ATTENDING PHYSICIAN IT IS MEDICALLY NECESSARY, FOR A PERIOD NOT TO EXCEED FORTY-EIGHT HOURS, NOT INCLUDING THE DAY OF THE PROCEDURE, AFTER A MASTECTOMY OR OTHER SURGICAL PROCEDURE RELATIVE TO THE TREATMENT OF BREAST CANCER, AND TO PROVIDE FOR EXCEPTIONS.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Title 38, Chapter 71 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 38-71-130. All individual and group health insurance and health maintenance organization policies providing coverage for surgical procedures relative to the treatment of breast cancer including, but not limited to, mastectomies must, if at the discretion of the attending physician it is medically necessary, provide for the patient to remain in the hospital for a period not to exceed forty-eight hours following the surgical procedure, not including the day of the procedure. Nothing in this section may be construed to prohibit the attending physician from requesting additional time for hospitalization or releasing the patient before forty-eight hours after the procedure."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect October 1, 1997.