Coverage for childhood immunizations

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 38.2-3419 , each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for all routine and necessary immunizations for newborn children under such policy, contract or plan delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in this Commonwealth on and after July 1, 2000.

B. The required benefits shall apply to immunizations administered to each newborn child from birth to thirty-six months of age.

C. For the purpose of this section, "routine and necessary immunizations" means immunizations against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, and other such immunizations as may be prescribed by the Commissioner of Health.

D. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any policy, contract or plan under which the policyholder has elected to obtain coverage for child health supervision services offered and made available under § 38.2-3411.1 or to short-term travel, accident-only, limited or specified disease policies, or contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans, or to short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration.

2000, cc. 460 , 496 .