17B:27A-19.15 - Small employer health benefits plan, coverage for prescription female contraceptives
17B:27A-19.15 Small employer health benefits plan, coverage for prescription female contraceptives.
8.A small employer health benefits plan required pursuant to section 3 of P.L.1992, c.162 (C.17B:27A-19) that provides benefits for expenses incurred in the purchase of outpatient prescription drugs shall provide coverage for expenses incurred in the purchase of prescription female contraceptives. For the purposes of this section, "prescription female contraceptives" means any drug or device used for contraception by a female, which is approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration for that purpose, that can only be purchased in this State with a prescription written by a health care professional licensed or authorized to write prescriptions, and includes, but is not limited to, birth control pills and diaphragms.
A religious employer may request, and a carrier shall grant, an exclusion under the health benefits plan for the coverage required by this section if the required coverage conflicts with the religious employer's bona fide religious beliefs and practices. A religious employer that obtains such an exclusion shall provide written notice thereof to prospective covered persons and covered persons. The provisions of this section shall not be construed as authorizing a carrier to exclude coverage for prescription drugs that are prescribed for reasons other than contraceptive purposes or for prescription female contraceptives that are necessary to preserve the life or health of a covered person. For the purposes of this section, "religious employer" means an employer that is a church, convention or association of churches or an elementary or secondary school that is controlled, operated or principally supported by a church or by a convention or association of churches as defined in 26 U.S.C.s.3121(w)(3)(A), and that qualifies as a tax-exempt organization under 26 U.S.C.s.501(c)(3).
The benefits shall be provided to the same extent as for any other outpatient prescription drug under the health benefits plan.
This section shall apply to all small employer health benefits plans in which the carrier has reserved the right to change the premium.
L.2005,c.251,s.8.