(a) A group or individual nongrandfathered health care service plan contract shall, at a minimum, provide coverage for and shall not impose any cost-sharing requirements for any of the following:

(1) Evidence-based items or services that have in effect a rating of “A” or “B” in the recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force, as periodically updated.

(2) Immunizations that have in effect a recommendation, as periodically updated, from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with respect to the individual involved.

(3) With respect to infants, children, and adolescents, evidence-informed preventive care and screenings provided in the comprehensive guidelines, as periodically updated, supported by the United States Health Resources and Services Administration.

(4) With respect to women, those additional preventive care and screenings not described in paragraph (1) as provided for in comprehensive guidelines supported by the United States Health Resources and Services Administration for purposes of this paragraph.

(5) For the purposes of this section, the current recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force regarding breast cancer screening, mammography, and prevention shall be considered the most current other than those issued in or around November 2009.

(b) This section does not prohibit a health care service plan contract from providing coverage for services in addition to those recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force or to deny coverage for services that are not recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force.

(c) A health care service plan shall provide coverage pursuant to subdivision (a) for plan years that begin on or after the date that is one year after the date the recommendation or guideline is issued.

(1) A health care service plan that is required to provide coverage for any items and services specified in a recommendation or guideline described in subdivision (a) on the first day of a plan year shall provide coverage through the last day of the plan year, even if the recommendation or guideline changes or is no longer described in subdivision (a) during the plan year.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), if a recommendation or guideline described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) that was in effect on the first day of a plan year is downgraded to a “D” rating, or if any item or service associated with any recommendation or guideline specified in subdivision (a) is subject to a safety recall or is otherwise determined to pose a significant safety concern by a federal agency authorized to regulate the item or service during a plan year, a health care service plan is not required to cover the item or service through the last day of the plan year.

(d) This section does not apply to a specialized health care service plan that does not cover an essential health benefit, as defined in Section 1367.005. This section shall only apply to a health savings account-eligible health care service plan to the extent it does not fail to be treated as a high deductible health plan under Section 223 of Title 26 of the United States Code.

(e) The department shall coordinate with the Department of Insurance if it adopts regulations to implement this section.

(Repealed and added by Stats. 2020, Ch. 302, Sec. 4. (SB 406) Effective September 29, 2020.)