0001| HOUSE BILL 221 | 0002| 42ND LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, | 0003| 1996 | 0004| INTRODUCED BY | 0005| EDWARD C. SANDOVAL | 0006| | 0007| | 0008| FOR THE HEALTH CARE TASK FORCE AND THE LEGISLATIVE | 0009| HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE | 0010| | 0011| AN ACT | 0012| RELATING TO HEALTH INSURANCE; ENACTING A SECTION OF THE NMSA | 0013| 1978 TO PROHIBIT HEALTH INSURERS FROM DISCRIMINATING AGAINST | 0014| PERSONS WITH SEVERE PERSISTENT BIOLOGICALLY BASED MENTAL | 0015| ILLNESS. | 0016| | 0017| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO: | 0018| Section 1. A new section of Chapter 59A, Article 16 NMSA | 0019| 1978 is enacted to read: | 0020| "[NEW MATERIAL] DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PERSONS WITH | 0021| SEVERE PERSISTENT BIOLOGICALLY BASED MENTAL ILLNESS.--No | 0022| insurer, including health maintenance organizations, nonprofit | 0023| health care plans and fraternal benefit societies, shall on the | 0024| basis of a person's severe persistent biologically based mental | 0025| illness refuse to insure, refuse to continue to insure, limit | 0001| the amount, extent or kind of coverage available to a person or | 0002| treat any person with a severe persistent biologically based | 0003| mental illness differently than a person with any other illness | 0004| with respect to the terms, conditions, rates, benefits or | 0005| requirements of an insurance contract. For purposes of this | 0006| section, "severe persistent biologically based mental illness" | 0007| means schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, pervasive developmental | 0008| disorder or autism, paranoia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder or any major depressive disorder." | 0009| - 2 - | 0010| |