38.2-3418.6 - Minimum hospital stay for mastectomy and certain lymph node dissection patients. - Virginia Statutes

§ 38.2-3418.6. Minimum hospital stay for mastectomy and certain lymph nodedissection patients.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419, each insurer proposing toissue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providinghospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on anexpense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or groupaccident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenanceorganization providing a health care plan for health care services shallprovide coverage providing a minimum stay in the hospital of not less thanforty-eight hours for a patient following a radical or modified radicalmastectomy and not less than twenty-four hours of inpatient care following atotal mastectomy or a partial mastectomy with lymph node dissection for thetreatment of breast cancer. Nothing in this section shall be construed asrequiring the provision of inpatient coverage where the attending physicianin consultation with the patient determines that a shorter period of hospitalstay is appropriate. Such provision shall be included under any policy,contract or plan delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in thisCommonwealth on and after July 1, 1998.

The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accidentonly, limited or specified disease policies, policies or contracts designedfor issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the SocialSecurity Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state orfederal governmental plans, or to short-term nonrenewable policies of notmore than six months' duration.

(1998, c. 631.)