2020 Georgia Code
Title 33 - Insurance
Chapter 24 - Insurance Generally
Article 1 - General Provisions
§ 33-24-27.1. Provision for Reimbursement for Services Within the Lawful Scope of Practice of Optometrists
Notwithstanding any provisions in such policies or contracts which might be construed to the contrary, all individual and group or blanket policies of accident and sickness insurance and individual or group service contracts or by health care corporations, pursuant to Chapter 20 of this title, which policies are issued, delivered, issued for delivery, amended, or renewed in this state and which provide coverage for services which are within the lawful scope of practice of an optometrist duly licensed to practice in this state, shall be deemed to provide that any person covered under such policies or contracts shall be entitled to receive reimbursement for such services under such policies or contracts regardless of whether they are rendered by a duly licensed doctor of medicine or by a duly licensed optometrist.
(Code 1933, § 56-2447, enacted by Ga. L. 1981, p. 817, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 2019, p. 386, § 40/SB 133.)
The 2019 amendment, effective July 1, 2019, deleted the subsection (a) designation; deleted "from and after July 1, 1981," following "to the contrary," near the middle, deleted "or indemnity" following "or group service", and deleted "issued by nonprofit corporations, pursuant to Chapters 18 and 19 of this title," preceding "or by health care corporations" in the middle; and deleted former subsection (b), which read: "This Code section shall not be construed so as to impair the obligation of any policy or contract which is in existence prior to July 1, 1981."
Cross references.- Contents of individual accident and sickness insurance policies, T. 33, C. 29.
Contents of group or blanket accident and sickness insurance, T. 33, C. 30.
OPINIONS OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
O.C.G.A. § 33-24-27.1 is not applicable to Board of Regents' self-insured health plan for its employees, the self-insured State Employees Health Insurance Plan, or any self-insured plan established by a state agency. 1981 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 81-67.
