Session Laws

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Chapter 175 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 47C the following section:-

Section 47D. Any blanket or general policy of insurance, except a blanket or general policy of insurance which provides supplemental coverage to medicare or other governmental programs, described in subdivision (A), (C) or (D) of section one hundred and ten which provides hospital expense and surgical expense insurance and which is issued or subsequently renewed by agreement between the insurer and the policy holder, within or without the commonwealth, during the period this provision is effective, or any policy of accident or sickness insurance as described in section one hundred and eight which provides hospital expense and surgical expense insurance, except a policy which provides supplemental coverage to medicare or other governmental programs, and which is delivered or issued for delivery or subsequently renewed by agreement between the insurer and the policy holder in the commonwealth, during the period that this provision is effective, or any employees' health and welfare fund which provides hospital expense and surgical expense benefits and which is promulgated or renewed to any person or group of persons in the commonwealth, while this provision is effective, shall provide benefits for the expense of cardiac rehabilitation. Cardiac rehabilitation shall mean multidisciplinary, medically necessary treatment of persons with documented cardiovascular disease, which shall be provided in either a hospital or other setting and which shall meet standards promulgated by the commissioner of public health after reviewing proposals submitted by the Massachusetts Society for Cardiac Rehabilitation, Inc. and after notice and public hearing on the proposed standards. Such standards shall include, but not be limited to, outpatient treatment which is to be initiated within twenty-six weeks after the diagnosis of such disease.

SECTION 2. Chapter 176A of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 8F the following section:-

Section 8G. Any contract, except contracts providing supplemental coverage to medicare or other governmental programs, between a subscriber and the corporation under an individual or group hospital service plan which shall be delivered or issued or renewed in the commonwealth shall provide, as a basic benefit to all individual subscribers and members within the commonwealth and to all group members having a principal place of employment within the commonwealth, for expense for cardiac rehabilitation. Cardiac rehabilitation shall mean multidisciplinary, medically necessary treatment of persons with documented cardiovascular disease, which shall be provided in either a hospital or other setting and which shall meet standards promulgated by the commissioner of public health after reviewing proposals submitted by the Massachusetts Society for Cardiac Rehabilitation, Inc. and after notice and public hearing on the proposed standards. Such standards shall include, but not be limited to, outpatient treatment which is to be initiated within twenty-six weeks after the diagnosis of such disease.

SECTION 3. Chapter 176B of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 4E the following section:-

Section 4F. Any subscription certificate under an individual or group medical service agreement, except certificates which provide supplemental coverage to medicare or other governmental programs, which shall be delivered or issued or renewed in the commonwealth shall provide, as a basic benefit to all individual subscribers and members within the commonwealth and to all group members having a principal place of employment within the commonwealth for expense for cardiac rehabilitation. Cardiac rehabilitation shall mean multidisciplinary, medically necessary treatment of persons with documented cardiovascular disease which shall be provided in either a hospital or other setting and which shall meet standards promulgated by the commissioner of public health after reviewing proposals submitted by the Massachusetts Society for Cardiac Rehabilitation, Inc. and after notice and public hearing on the proposed standards. Such standards shall include, but not be limited to, outpatient treatment which is to be initiated within twenty-six weeks after the diagnosis of such disease.

SECTION 4. Section 4 of chapter 176G of the General Laws, as appearing in the 1984 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following sentence:- Such health maintenance contract shall also provide coverage for cardiac rehabilitation as set forth in section forty-seven D of chapter one hundred and seventy-five.