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benefit health insurance policies and contracts that provide | coverage for prescription drugs or outpatient medical services must | provide coverage for all prescription contraceptives approved by | the federal Food and Drug Administration or for outpatient | contraceptive services, respectively, to the same extent that | coverage is provided for other prescription drugs or outpatient | medical services.__For purposes of this section, the term | "outpatient contraceptive services" means consultations, | examinations, procedures and medical services provided on an | outpatient basis and related to the use of contraceptive methods to | prevent an unintended pregnancy. |
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| | 2.__Prohibitions.__An insurance carrier that offers an group | insurance policy or contract, except an accidental injury, | specified disease, hospital indemnity, Medicare supplement, long- | term care or other limited benefit health insurance policy or | contract may not: |
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| A.__Deny to any individual or covered person eligibility or | continued eligibility to enroll or to renew coverage under | the terms of the policy or contract because of the | individual's or covered person's use or potential use of | items or services that are covered in accordance with the | requirements of this section; |
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| B.__Provide monetary payments or rebates to a covered person | to encourage that person to accept less than the minimum | protections available under this section; |
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| C.__Penalize or otherwise reduce or limit the reimbursement | of a health care professional because that professional | prescribed contraceptive drugs or provided contraceptive | services in accordance with this section; or |
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| D.__Provide incentives, monetary or otherwise, to a health | care professional to induce that professional to withhold | from a covered person contraceptive drugs or contraceptive | services. |
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| | Sec. 4. 24-A MRSA §4245 is enacted to read: |
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| §4245.__Coverage for contraceptives |
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| | 1.__Coverage requirements.__All health maintenance | organization individual and group health contracts that provide | coverage for prescription drugs or outpatient medical services | must provide coverage for all prescription contraceptives | approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration or for | outpatient contraceptive services, respectively, to the same | extent that coverage is provided for other prescription drugs or | outpatient medical services.__For purposes of this section, the |
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