H-1052.1          _______________________________________________

                                  HOUSE BILL 1576

                  _______________________________________________

State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1991 Regular Session

By Representatives R. Meyers, Dellwo, R. Johnson, Dorn, Ferguson and Zellinsky.

Read first time February 1, 1991.  Referred to Committee on Financial Institutions & Insurance.Restricting the location of medical examinations required by certain insurers.

     AN ACT Relating to medical examinations required by a private passenger automobile insurance policy; and adding a new section to chapter 48.18 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 48.18 RCW to read as follows:

     Insurers issuing private passenger automobile insurance policies shall provide that medical examinations scheduled by the insurer to examine the medical condition of a claimant shall be scheduled with qualified health care professionals as close as possible to the residence of the claimant.  An insurer may not issue a private passenger automobile policy that requires or has the effect of requiring a claimant to attend a medical examination located in a county other than a claimant's county of residence, except when health care professionals qualified to conduct the examination are not available within the claimant's county of residence.