17B:27A-19.33 Small employer health benefits plan to cover adolescent depression screenings.
7. A small employer health benefits plan that provides hospital and medical expense benefits and is delivered, issued, executed, or renewed in this State pursuant to P.L.1992, c.162 (C.17B:27A-17 et seq.), on or after the effective date of this act, shall provide coverage for expenses incurred in screening adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 for major depressive disorder, so long as screening for major depressive disorder in adolescents continues to receive a rating of "A" or "B" from the United States Preventative Services Task Force. Coverage shall not be denied solely on the basis that the screening is provided in conjunction with any other health care evaluation, treatment, or service.
The benefits shall be provided to the same extent as for any other condition under the health benefits plan, except that the carrier shall not impose on covered persons receiving these services any form of cost sharing, including, but not limited to, copayments, deductibles, or coinsurance.
This section shall apply to those health benefits plans in which the carrier has reserved the right to change the premium.
L.2021, c.73, s.7.