CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

 

                        HOUSE BILL 2031

 

 

                    Chapter 7, Laws of 2000

 

 

                        56th Legislature

                      2000 Regular Session

 

 

WOMEN'S HEALTH CARE--MIDWIVES AS HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONERS

 

 

 

                    EFFECTIVE DATE:  6/8/00

Passed by the House February 9, 2000

  Yeas 97   Nays 0

 

 

             CLYDE BALLARD

Speaker of the House of Representatives

     

 

 

              FRANK CHOPP

Speaker of the House of Representatives

 

 

 

Passed by the Senate February 29, 2000

  Yeas 45   Nays 0

             CERTIFICATE

 

We, Timothy A. Martin and Cynthia Zehnder, Co-Chief Clerks of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is HOUSE BILL 2031  as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth.

 

 

 

          TIMOTHY A. MARTIN

                          Chief Clerk

 

 

           CYNTHIA ZEHNDER

                          Chief Clerk

               BRAD OWEN

President of the Senate

 

 

 

Approved March 17, 2000 Place Style On Codes above, and Style Off Codes below.            

                                FILED                

 

           March 17, 2000 - 2:11 p.m.

 

              GARY LOCKE

Governor of the State of Washington

                 Secretary of State

                 State of Washington


          _______________________________________________

 

                          HOUSE BILL 2031

          _______________________________________________

 

             Passed Legislature - 2000 Regular Session

 

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

 

By Representatives Ruderman, Dunn, Dickerson, Fortunato, Conway, Boldt, Kessler, Murray, O'Brien, Romero, Cairnes, Ogden, Rockefeller, Linville, Kenney, Edmonds, Schual‑Berke, Kagi, Tokuda, McIntire, Keiser, Cooper, Lantz, Santos and Miloscia

 

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.


    Passed the House February 9, 2000.

    Passed the Senate February 29, 2000.

Approved by the Governor March 17, 2000.

    Filed in Office of Secretary of State March 17, 2000.