83-51-3 - Provisions prohibited in health insurance policies and employee benefit plans.
§ 83-51-3. Provisions prohibited in health insurance policies and employee benefit plans.
No health insurance policy or employee benefit plan which is delivered, renewed, issued for delivery, or otherwise contracted for in this state shall:
(a) Prevent any person who is a party to or beneficiary of any such health insurance policy or employee benefit plan from selecting the dentist of his choice to furnish the dental care services offered by such policy or plan, or interfere with such selection, provided the dentist selected is licensed to furnish such dental care services in this state;
(b) Deny any dentist the right to participate as a contracting provider for such policy or plan, provided the dentist is licensed to furnish the dental care services offered by such policy or plan;
(c) Authorize any person to regulate, interfere or intervene in any manner in the diagnosis or treatment rendered by a dentist to his patient for the purpose of preventing, alleviating, curing or healing dental illness or injury, provided such dentist practices within the scope of his license; or
(d) Require that any dentist furnishing dental care services make or obtain dental x-rays or any other diagnostic aids for the purpose of preventing, alleviating, curing or healing dental illness or injury; provided, however, that nothing herein shall prohibit requests for existing dental x-rays or any other existing diagnostic aids for the purpose of determining benefits payable under a health insurance policy or employee benefit plan.
Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit the predetermination of benefits for dental care expenses prior to treatment by the attending dentist.
Sources: Laws, 1985, ch. 369, § 2, eff from and after July 1, 1985.