(a) Every individual or group policy of health insurance that provides coverage for hospital, medical, or surgical benefits, that is issued, amended, or renewed, on or after January 1, 2002, and that includes coverage for treatment or surgery of cervical cancer shall also be deemed to provide coverage, upon the referral of a patient’s physician and surgeon, a nurse practitioner, or a certified nurse midwife, providing care to the patient and operating within the scope of practice otherwise permitted for the licensee, for an annual cervical cancer screening test.

The coverage for an annual cervical cancer screening test provided pursuant to this section shall include the conventional Pap test, a human papillomavirus screening test that is approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, and the option of any cervical cancer screening test approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, upon the referral of the patient’s health care provider.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to require an individual or group policy to cover treatment or surgery for cervical cancer or to prevent application of deductible or copayment provisions contained in the policy or certificate, nor shall this section be construed to require that coverage under an individual or group policy be extended to any other procedures.

(b) This section shall not apply to vision only, dental only, accident only, specified disease, hospital indemnity, Medicare supplement, CHAMPUS supplement, long-term care, or disability income insurance. For accident only, hospital indemnity, or specified disease insurance, coverage for benefits under this section shall apply only to the extent that the benefits are covered under the general terms and conditions that apply to all other benefits under the policy or certificate. Nothing in this section shall be construed as imposing a new benefit mandate on accident only, hospital indemnity, or specified disease insurance.

(Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 482, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2007.)