A. If an accident and sickness insurance policy provides coverage for services provided by an emergency medical services vehicle, any person providing such services to a person covered under such policy shall receive reimbursement for such services directly from the issuer of such policy, when the issuer of such policy is presented with an assignment of benefits by the person providing such services.

B. No (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, or (iii) health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall establish or promote an emergency medical response and transportation system that encourages or directs access by a person covered under such policy, contract or plan in competition with or in substitution of an emergency 911 system or other state, county or municipal emergency medical system for services provided by an emergency medical services vehicle. An entity subject to this subsection may use transportation outside an emergency 911 system or other state, county or municipal emergency medical system for services that are not services provided by an emergency medical services vehicle.

C. For the purposes of this section, "services provided by an emergency medical services vehicle" means the transportation of any person requiring resuscitation or emergency relief or where human life is endangered, by means of any emergency medical services vehicle designed or used principally for such purposes. No (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, or (iii) health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall require a person covered under such policy, contract or plan to obtain prior authorization before accessing an emergency 911 system or other state, county or municipal emergency medical system for services provided by an emergency medical services vehicle.

1995, c. 420; 2000, c. 630; 2015, cc. 502, 503.