AI-assisted research summary: Health insurance policies in this section must cover a newborn child from birth, and some policies must offer an option to add newborn coverage if family-member coverage is not already provided.
59A-22-34. Newly born children coverage. A. All individual and group health insurance policies delivered or issued for delivery in this state and which provide coverage on an expense-incurred basis for a family member of the insured shall, as to such family members' coverage, also provide that the health insurance benefits applicable for children shall be payable with respect to a newly born child of the insured from the moment of birth. B. All individual and group health insurance policies delivered or issued for delivery in this state that do not provide coverage for a family member of the insured shall provide for an option to add to the coverage any newly born child of the insured provided that the requirements of Subsection D of this section have been met. C. The coverage for newly born children shall consist of coverage of injury or sickness, including the necessary care and treatment of medically diagnosed congenital defects and birth abnormalities and, where necessary to protect the life of the infant, transportation, including air transport, to the nearest available tertiary care facility for newly born infants. D. If payment of a specific premium is required to provide coverage for a child, the policy may require that a notification of birth of a newly born child and payment of the required premium must be furnished to the insurer within thirty-one days after the date of birth in order to have the coverage from birth. E. As used in this section and in Section 59A-22-35 NMSA 1978, "tertiary care facility" means a hospital unit which provides complete perinatal care and intensive care of intrapartum and perinatal high-risk patients with responsibilities for coordination of transport, communication, education and data analysis systems for the geographic area served. History: Laws 1984, ch. 127, § 456; 1993, ch. 169, § 1.