RELATING TO HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS; PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST CERTIFIED NURSE PRACTITIONERS.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO: Section 1. Section 59A-46-35 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1987, Chapter 335, Section 1, as amended) is amended to read:

"59A-46-35. PROVIDER DISCRIMINATION PROHIBITED.--No class of licensed individual providers willing to meet the terms and conditions offered by a health maintenance organization shall be excluded from a health maintenance organization. For purposes of this section, "providers" means those persons licensed pursuant to Section 61-3-23.2 NMSA 1978 or Article 2, 4, 5A, 6, 8, 9, 10 or 11 of Chapter 61 NMSA 1978."

Section 2. A new section of the New Mexico Insurance Code, Section 59A-47-28.3 NMSA 1978, is enacted to read:

"59A-47-28.3. PROVIDER DISCRIMINATION PROHIBITED.--All individual and group subscriber contracts delivered or issued for delivery in New Mexico that, on a prepaid, service or indemnity basis, or all of them, provide for treatment of persons for the prevention, cure or correction of an illness or physical or mental condition shall include coverage for the services of a certified nurse practitioner. Deductibles, limits of coverage or other terms and conditions of coverage for certified nurse practitioners shall not differ substantially from coverage for the same or similar services provided by other practitioners. Nothing in this section shall restrict a health care plan from including in the terms of its coverage any benefit differences based on differences in the scope of practice of health care practitioners."