NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
1973 SESSION

CHAPTER 345
SENATE BILL 669

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR NEWBORN INFANTS.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1.  Article 26 of Chapter 58 of the General Statutes is hereby amended by adding a new section thereto, designated G.S. 58-251.4, to read as follows:
"§ 58-251.4.  Policies to cover newborn infants. — Every policy of insurance and every hospital service or medical service plan as defined in Chapter 57 of the General Statutes (regardless of whether any of such policies or plans shall be defined as individual, family, group, blanket, franchise, industrial or otherwise) which provides benefits on account of any sickness, illness, or disability of any minor child or which provides benefits on account of any medical treatment or service authorized or permitted to be furnished by a hospital under the laws of this State to any minor child shall provide such benefits for such occurrences beginning with the moment of birth of such child if such birth occurs while said policy or subscriber contract with such a plan is in force.
Benefits in such insurance policies or plans shall be the same for congenital defects or anomalies as are provided for most sicknesses or illnesses suffered by minor children which are covered by said policies or plans.
No policy or plan subscriber contract shall be approved by the Commissioner of Insurance pursuant to the provisions of this Article or the provisions of Chapter 57 of the General Statutes that does not comply with the provisions of this section."
Sec. 2.  The provisions of Section 1 of this act shall apply both to insurers governed by the provisions of Chapter 58 of the General Statutes and to corporations governed by the provisions of Chapter 57 of the General Statutes.
Sec. 3.  This act shall become effective upon ratification but shall only apply to policies of insurance, and hospital service and medical service plan subscriber contracts delivered, issued for delivery, re-issued or renewed in this State on and after July 1, 1973.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 7th day of May, 1973.