Marvin Mandel, Governor                         1591

office located in the State or which is incorporated in the State, or
covers persons who reside or work within the State, no such plan
providing for reimbursement for any service which is within the
lawful scope of practice of a physician or physicians, a dentist or
dentists, and/or a podiatrist or podiatrists, may prohibit any per-
son covered by such plan from obtaining reimbursement for such
service whether the service is performed by a doctor of medicine,
a dentist, or a podiatrist. The provisions of this Section shall apply
to all such plans, issued, renewed, modified, altered, amended, re-
vised, or reissued on or after July 1, 1972.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
July 1, 1972.

Approved May 26, 1972.

CHAPTER 600
(House Bill 1225)

AN ACT to add new Section 477C to Article 48A of the Annotated
Code of Maryland (1972 Replacement Volume), title "Insurance
Code," to follow immediately after Section 477B thereof, and to
be under subtitle "26. Group and Blanket Health Insurance," to
provide that all group health insurance policies which insure ex-
penses incurred for services which optometrists are licensed to per-
form, must insure such expenses when rendered by an optometrist.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That new Section 477C be and it is hereby added to Article 48A of
the Annotated Code of Maryland (1972 Replacement Volume), title
"Insurance Code," to follow immediately after Section 477B thereof,
to be under the new subtitle "26. Group and Blanket Health Insur-
ance," and to read as follows:

Group and Blanket Health Insurance

All group health insurance policies issued or delivered in this
State, which provide insurance against expenses incurred for services
which optometrists are licensed to perform under the provisions of
Article 43, shall obligate the insurer, in accordance with the other
provisions of said policies, to insure such expenses when rendered by
an optometrist.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
July 1, 1972.

Approved May 26, 1972.