(a) No individual or group policy of health insurance that is issued, amended, renewed, or delivered on or after July 1, 2003, that provides maternity coverage shall contain a copayment or deductible for inpatient hospital maternity services that exceeds the most common amount of the copayment or deductible contained in the policy for inpatient services provided for other covered medical conditions or contain a copayment or deductible for ambulatory care maternity services that exceeds the most common amount of the copayment or deductible contained in the policy for ambulatory care services provided for other covered medical conditions.

(b) No group or blanket policy of health insurance that provides maternity benefits for a person covered continuously from conception shall be issued, amended, delivered, or renewed in this state if it contains any exclusion, reduction, or other limitations as to coverage, deductibles, or coinsurance provisions, as to involuntary complications of pregnancy, unless the provisions apply generally to all benefits paid under the policy.

(c) For purposes of this section, involuntary complications of pregnancy shall include, but not be limited to, puerperal infection, eclampsia, cesarean section delivery, ectopic pregnancy, and toxemia.

(d) This section shall not apply to Medicare supplement, vision-only, or Champus-supplement insurance, or to hospital indemnity, accident-only, and specified disease insurance that does not pay benefits on a fixed benefit, cash payment only basis.

(e) This section shall not permit copayments or deductibles in the Medi-Cal program that are not otherwise authorized under state or federal law.

(f) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2003.

(Repealed (in Sec. 4) and added by Stats. 2002, Ch. 880, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 2003. Section operative July 1, 2003, by its own provisions.)