§ 27-18-55 - Acupuncture services. - Rhode Island Statutes

SECTION 27-18-55

   § 27-18-55  Acupuncture services. –(a) Every group health insurance contract, plan, or group policy delivered,issued for delivery or renewed in this state which provides medical coverage,and every group policy which provides for treatment of persons for theprevention, cure or correction of any illness or physical or mental condition,shall provide, as an optional rider, coverage for the services of a doctor ofacupuncture as a provider of acupuncture services; provided, that this sectionshall not apply to insurance coverage providing benefits for: (1) hospitalconfinement indemnity; (2) disability income; (3) accident only; (4) long termcare; (5) Medicare supplement; (6) limited benefit health; (7) specifieddisease indemnity; (8) sickness or bodily injury or death by accident or both;and (9) other limited benefit policies.

   (b) For the purposes of this section:

   (1) "Doctor of acupuncture" means a practitioner licensedunder chapter 37.2 of title 5.

   (2) "Coverage for the services of a doctor of acupuncture asa provider of acupuncture services" means coverage for acupuncture as definedin § 5-37.2-2(1).

   (c) It shall remain within the sole discretion of theaccident and sickness insurer as to which doctor of acupuncture it shallcontract with. Reimbursement shall be provided according to the respectiveprinciples and policies of the accident and sickness insurer; provided, that noaccident and sickness insurer may be required to pay for duplicative servicesactually rendered by a doctor of acupuncture and any other health careprovider. Nothing contained in this section shall preclude the accident andsickness insurer from conducting managed care, medical necessity or utilizationreview.