H. B. 2226


(By Delegates Compton, Douglas, Hubbard,

Marshall, Leach, Hatfield and Susman)


[Introduced February 15, 2001 ; referred to the

Committee on Banking and Insurance then Finance.]




A BILL to amend article twenty-five-a, 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 eight-f, relating to requiring a health maintenance organization to cover subscribers for bone mineral density scans for osteoporosis.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That article twenty-five-a, 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 eight-f, to read as follows:

ARTICLE 25A. HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATION ACT.

§33-25A-8f. Third-party reimbursement for bone mineral density scan.

Notwithstanding any provision of any policy, provision, contract, plan or agreement to which this article applies, whenever reimbursement or indemnity for laboratory or X ray services are covered, reimbursement or indemnity may not be denied for a bone mineral density scan when performed and conducted for the purpose of screening for osteoporosis in a man or a woman aged thirty-five or older, every three years or more frequently based on the patient's physician's recommendation. A policy, provision contract, plan or agreement may apply to bone mineral density scans, the same deductibles, coinsurance and other limitations as apply to other covered services.



NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to make osteoporosis testing available for HMO subscribers.

This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.