                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

DENIAL OF BENEFITS FOR CERTAIN PRESCRIPTION DRUGS PROHIBITED (§ 38.2-3407.6:1)

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 &#xA7;&#xA7; 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&#8217; 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.

HISTORY: 1999, c. 857.