A. Each (i) 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, (ii) corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts, and (iii) health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services, whose policy, contract or plan, including any certificate or evidence of coverage issued in connection with such policy, contract or plan, includes coverage for prescription drugs, whether on an inpatient basis, an outpatient basis, or both, shall provide in each such policy, contract, plan, certificate, and evidence of coverage that such benefits shall not be denied for any drug approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use in the treatment of cancer pain on the basis that the dosage is in excess of the recommended dosage of the pain-relieving agent, if the prescription in excess of the recommended dosage has been prescribed in compliance with §§ 54.1-2971.01, 54.1-3303 and 54.1-3408.1 for a patient with intractable cancer pain.

B. The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, or accident-only policies, or to short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration.

C. The provisions of this section are applicable to contracts, policies or plans delivered, issued for delivery or renewed in this Commonwealth on and after July 1, 1999.

1999, c. 857.