§ 36-6059. Adopted children - Coverage.

A.  All individual and group health insurance policies providing coverage on an expense incurred, fixed, or capitated basis, and all individual and group insurance policies, certificates, service or indemnity type contracts issued by insurance companies, health maintenance organizations, nonprofit corporations, charitable and benevolent corporations established for the purposes of operating a nonprofit hospital service or indemnity plan and/or a nonprofit medical or indemnity, fixed, or capitated plan, and all self-insurers which provide coverage for a family member of the insured or subscriber shall, as to such family member's coverage, also provide that the health insurance benefits applicable for any natural child of the insured or subscriber shall be payable with respect to any adopted child of the insured or subscriber from the date of placement of the child in the custody of the insured or subscriber, provided the insurer is notified within thirty-one (31) days in writing.  Coverage shall include the necessary care and treatment of medical conditions existing prior to the date of placement of the child in the custody of the insured or subscriber.  Nothing in this section shall be construed to require coverage of costs incurred for such medical conditions prior to the date of placement of the child in the custody of the insured or subscriber.

B.  Subject to the terms and conditions of the policy, contract or agreement, coverage shall also include the actual and documented medical costs associated with the birth of an adopted child who is eighteen (18) months of age or younger.  If requested, the insured shall provide copies of medical bills and records associated with the birth of the adopted child and proof that the insured paid or is responsible for payment of the medical bills associated with the birth and that the cost of the birth was not covered by another health care plan including Medicaid.  Any reference to the name of the natural parents of the adopted child shall be deleted from the records so provided.  The coverage required by this subsection shall be subject to the same annual deductibles and coinsurance as may be deemed appropriate and as are consistent with those established for other covered benefits.  The coverage shall also be subject to the terms of the insurers contract, if any, with hospitals and physicians.

C.  As used in this section, "placement" means the assumption by the insured or subscriber of the physical custody of the adopted child and the financial responsibility for the support and care of the adopted child.

D.  For purposes of this section, a child who is in the custody of the insured, pursuant to an interlocutory decree issued under Section 7505-6.1 of Title 10 of the Oklahoma Statutes vesting temporary care of the child in the insured, is an adopted child during the pendency of the adoption proceeding, regardless of whether a final decree of adoption is ultimately issued.

Added by Laws 1986, c. 39, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 1986.  Amended by Laws 1993, c. 154, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1993; Laws 1997, c. 41, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 1997; Laws 1998, c. 415, § 42, emerg. eff. June 11, 1998; Laws 2006, c. 264, § 64, eff. July 1, 2006.