Hawaii Revised Statutes 431:10a-116.7 Contraceptive Services; Religious Employers Exemption.

Note

Article heading amended by L 2002, c 155, §48.

State innovation waiver task force; health care reform plan; reports to 2015-2017 legislature (dissolved June 30, 2017). L 2014, c 158; L 2015, c 184.

Cross References

Conformance to federal law, see §431:2-201.5.

Federally qualified health centers; rural health clinics; reimbursement, see §346-53.6.

Health maintenance organization act, see chapter 432D.

Medicaid-related mandates, see chapter 431L.

Mental health and alcohol and drug abuse treatment insurance benefits, see chapter 431M.

Patients' bill of rights and responsibilities act, see chapter 432E.

Prescription drug benefits, see chapter 431R.

Prescription drugs; mail order opt out option, see §87A-16.3.

Proposed mandatory health insurance coverage and assessment report, see §§23-51, 52.

State health insurance program, see chapter 431N.

Attorney General Opinions

Section 431:10A-601 applied to all parts of article 10A if the category of policy under consideration included family coverage, as defined in §431:10A-103. Att. Gen. Op. 97-10.

The placement of §431:10A-601 in this article, regulating content of insurance contracts, makes clear that the legislative intent was to mandate benefits that must be made available by insurers that write contracts of insurance providing family coverage. Att. Gen. Op. 97-10.

Law Journals and Reviews

Tax Justice and Same-Sex Domestic Partner Health Benefits: An Analysis of the Tax Equity For Health Plan Beneficiaries Act. 32 UH L. Rev. 73 (2009).

Case Notes

As chapter 432D does not cover the field of managed care regulation and because §§432D-2, 432E-1, and this article can be read together and there is no explicit language or policy reason not to give each statute effect, chapter 432D does not repeal chapter 432E by implication. 126 H. 326, 271 P.3d 621 (2012).

Properly licensed HMOs, like plaintiff, were authorized pursuant to §432D-1 to "provide or arrange", at their option, for the closed panel health care services required under the managed care plan program; accident and health insurers were authorized under §431:10A-205(b) to arrange for medical services for members using a defined network of providers, i.e., particular "hospitals or persons"; thus, this article and chapter 432D authorized both accident and health insurers and HMOs, as risk-bearing entities, to provide the closed panel product required by the managed care plan contracts. 126 H. 326, 271 P.3d 621 (2012).

PART I. INDIVIDUAL ACCIDENT AND HEALTH

OR SICKNESS POLICIES

Note

Part heading amended by L 2002, c 155, §48.

Attorney General Opinions

Section 431:10A-601 applied to all parts of article 10A if the category of policy under consideration included family coverage, as defined in §431:10A-103. Att. Gen. Op. 97-10.

Case Notes

Under this article and §431:10A-105(2)(A)(ii), standard "incontestability clause" of contract precluded insurer from denying insured "total disability benefit" contracted for, notwithstanding that HIV infection that caused the disability arguably "manifested" itself prior to policy's effective date of coverage. 86 H. 262, 948 P.2d 1103.

§431:10A-116.7 Contraceptive services; religious employers exemption. (a) A "religious employer" is an entity for which each of the following is true:

(1) The inculcation of religious values is the purpose of the entity;

(2) The entity primarily employs persons who share the religious tenets of the entity;

(3) The entity is not staffed by public employees; and

(4) The entity is a nonprofit organization as defined under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

For the purpose of this definition, any educational, health care, or other nonprofit institution or organization owned or controlled by the religious employer is included in this exemption.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, any religious employer may request an accident and health or sickness insurance plan without coverage for contraceptive services and supplies that are contrary to the religious employer's religious tenets. If so requested, the accident and health or sickness insurer, mutual benefit society, or health maintenance organization shall provide a plan without coverage for contraceptive services and supplies. This subsection shall not be construed to deny an enrollee coverage of, and timely access to, contraceptive services and supplies.

(c) Each religious employer that invokes the exemption provided under this section shall:

(1) Provide written notice to enrollees upon enrollment with the plan, listing the contraceptive health care services the employer refuses to cover for religious reasons;

(2) Provide written information describing how an enrollee may directly access contraceptive services and supplies in an expeditious manner; and

(3) Ensure that enrollees who are refused contraceptive services and supplies coverage under this section have prompt access to the information developed under paragraph (2). Such notice shall appear, in not less than twelve-point type, in the policy, application, and sales brochure for such policy.

(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to exclude coverage for prescription contraceptive supplies ordered by a health care provider with prescriptive authority for reasons other than contraceptive purposes, such as decreasing the risk of ovarian cancer or eliminating symptoms of menopause, or for prescription contraception that is necessary to preserve the life or health of an enrollee.

(e) Accident and health or sickness insurers, mutual benefit societies, and health maintenance organizations shall allow enrollees in a health plan exempted under this section to directly purchase coverage of contraceptive supplies and outpatient contraceptive services. The enrollee's cost of purchasing such coverage shall not exceed the enrollee's pro rata share of the price the group purchaser would have paid for such coverage had the group plan not invoked a religious exemption.

(f) This section shall not be construed as to require an accident and health or sickness insurer, mutual benefit society, health maintenance organization, health care facility, or health care provider to provide any health care services without appropriate payment of premium or fee.

(g) For purposes of this section:

"Contraceptive services" means physician-delivered, physician-supervised, physician assistant-delivered, nurse practitioner-delivered, certified nurse midwife-delivered, nurse-delivered, or pharmacist-delivered medical services intended to promote the effective use of contraceptive supplies or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy.

"Contraceptive supplies" means all United States Food and Drug Administration-approved contraceptive drugs or devices used to prevent unwanted pregnancy. [L 1999, c 267, §1; am L 2003, c 201, §4 and c 212, §74]

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Last modified: October 27, 2016