Health care coverage: breast-feeding.

Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975 (Knox-Keene Act) , provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of that act a crime. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Under existing law, health care service plans and health insurers are required to offer specified types of coverage as part of their health care service plan contracts or health insurance policies. Existing law imposes specified requirements upon a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy that provides maternity coverage. This bill would require specified health care service plans and health insurers to include coverage for lactation consultation and the provision or rental of specified types of breast pumps, as defined, as part of their health care service plan contracts or health insurance policies that provide maternity coverage. Because this bill would specify additional requirements under the Knox-Keene Act, the willful violation of which would be a crime, it would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.