§27-56-5. Third-party payment.

(a) No insurance policy, plan, or contract providing for third-party payment or prepayment of health or medical expenses that provides coverage for eye care services shall be issued or renewed after August 1, 2001, unless such insurance policy, plan, or contract does the following:

(1) Provides a covered person direct access to any eye care provider participating in, or otherwise eligible to provide services under, the policy, plan, or contract for all eye care services covered under the policy, plan, or contract, without any referral or preapproval requirement, including, but not limited to, the following services, if covered:

a. Medical treatment of glaucoma.

b. Postoperative eye care.

(2) Ensures that any list of medical or health care providers participating in, or otherwise eligible to provide services under, the policy, plan, or contract includes eye care providers to the same extent that such list includes other medical or health care providers to whom a covered person has direct access, without need for referral or preapproval, under the policy, plan, or contract.

(b) An insurance policy, plan, or contract providing for third-party payment or prepayment of health or medical expenses shall not deny or limit reimbursement to any covered person on the ground that the covered person was not referred to the eye care provider by a person acting on behalf of, or under an agreement with, the company, entity, or person providing the insurance policy, plan, or contract.

(Act 2001-477, p. 640, §5.)