(a) On and after July 1, 2011, in accordance with the requirements of subdivision (b), a health insurer that provides coverage for professional mental health services shall issue an identification card to an insured in order to assist the insured with accessing health benefits coverage information, including, but not limited to, in-network provider access information, and claims processing purposes. The identification card, at a minimum, shall include all of the following information:

(1) The name of the health insurer issuing the identification card.

(2) The insured’s identification number.

(3) A telephone number that insureds or providers may call for assistance with health benefits coverage information, in-network provider access information, and claims processing information, and if assessment services are provided by the health insurer, access to assessment services for the purpose of referral to an appropriate level of care or an appropriate health care provider.

(4) The health insurer’s Internet Web site address.

(b) The identification card required by this section shall be issued by a health insurer to an insured upon commencement of coverage or upon a change in the insured’s coverage that impacts the data content or format of the card.

(c) This section does not require a health insurer to issue a separate identification card for professional mental health coverage if the insurer issues a card for health care coverage in general and the card provides the information required by this section.

(d) If a health insurer, as described in subdivision (a), delegates responsibility for issuing the card to a contractor or agent, the contractor or agent shall be required to comply with this section.

(e) This section does not prohibit a health insurer from meeting the standards of the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) or other national uniform standards with respect to identification cards, and a health insurer shall be deemed compliant with this section if the insurer conforms with these standards, as long as the minimum requirements described in subdivision (a) have been met.

(f) For the purposes of this section, “identification card” includes other technology that performs substantially the same function as an identification card.

(g) (1) This section shall not apply to Medicare supplement insurance, employee assistance programs, CHAMPUS supplement insurance, or TRI-CARE supplement insurance, or to hospital indemnity, accident-only, and specified disease insurance. This section shall also not apply to specialized health insurance policies, except behavioral health-only policies.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), this section shall not apply to a behavioral health-only policy that provides coverage for professional mental health services pursuant to a contract with a health care service plan or insurer if that plan or insurer issues an identification card to its subscribers or insureds pursuant to this section or Section 1367.29 of the Health and Safety Code.

(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 687, Sec. 9. (SB 910) Effective January 1, 2019.)