_______________________________________________
HOUSE
BILL 2031
_______________________________________________
Passed
Legislature - 2000 Regular Session
State of Washington 56th
Legislature 1999 Regular Session
By
Read first time 02/15/1999.
Referred to Committee on Health Care.
Including
midwives in women's health care services.
AN
ACT Relating to adding midwives to the definition of health care practitioners
that provide women's health care services; and amending RCW 48.42.100.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE
LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec.
1. RCW
48.42.100 and 1995 c 389 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
(1)
For purposes of this section, health care carriers includes disability insurers
regulated under chapter 48.20 or 48.21 RCW, health care services contractors
regulated under chapter 48.44 RCW, health maintenance organizations regulated
under chapter 48.46 RCW, plans operating under the health care authority under
chapter 41.05 RCW, the state health insurance pool operating under chapter
48.41 RCW, and insuring entities regulated under chapter 48.43 RCW.
(2)
For purposes of this section and consistent with their lawful scopes of
practice, types of health care practitioners that provide women's health care
services shall include, but need not be limited by a health care carrier to,
the following: Any generally recognized medical specialty of practitioners
licensed under chapter 18.57 or 18.71 RCW who provides women's health care
services; practitioners licensed under chapters 18.57A and 18.71A RCW when
providing women's health care services; midwives licensed under chapter
18.50 RCW; and advanced registered nurse practitioner specialists in
women's health and midwifery under chapter 18.79 RCW.
(3)
For purposes of this section, women's health care services shall include, but
need not be limited by a health care carrier to, the following: Maternity
care; reproductive health services; gynecological care; general examination;
and preventive care as medically appropriate and medically appropriate
follow-up visits for the services listed in this subsection.
(4)
Health care carriers shall ensure that enrolled female patients have direct
access to timely and appropriate covered women's health care services from the
type of health care practitioner of their choice in accordance with subsection
(5) of this section.
(5)(a)
Health care carrier policies, plans, and programs written, amended, or renewed
after July 23, 1995, shall provide women patients with direct access to the
type of health care practitioner of their choice for appropriate covered
women's health care services without the necessity of prior referral from
another type of health care practitioner.
(b)
Health care carriers may comply with this section by including all the types of
health care practitioners listed in this section for women's health care
services for women patients.
(c) Nothing in this section shall prevent health care carriers from
restricting women patients to seeing only health care practitioners who have
signed participating provider agreements with the health care carrier.
