(a) A group or individual nongrandfathered health insurance policy 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 insurance policy 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 insurer shall provide coverage pursuant to subdivision (a) for policy years that begin on or after the date that is one year after the date the recommendation or guideline is issued.

(1) A health insurer 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 policy year shall provide coverage through the last day of the policy year, even if the recommendation or guideline changes or is no longer described in subdivision (a) during the policy 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 policy 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 policy year, a health insurer is not required to cover the item or service through the last day of the policy year.

(d) This section does not apply to a specialized health insurance policy that does not cover an essential health benefit, as defined in Section 10112.27. This section shall only apply to a health savings account-eligible health insurance policy to the extent it does not fail to be treated as a high deductible health insurance policy under Section 223 of Title 26 of the United States Code.

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

(Repealed and added by Stats. 2020, Ch. 302, Sec. 17. (SB 406) Effective September 29, 2020.)