Section 10176.

(a) In disability insurance, the policy may provide for payment of medical, surgical, chiropractic, physical therapy, speech pathology, audiology, acupuncture, professional mental health, dental, hospital, or optometric expenses upon a reimbursement basis, or for the exclusion of any of those services, and provision may be made therein for payment of all or a portion of the amount of charge for these services without requiring that the insured first pay the expenses. The policy shall not prohibit the insured from selecting any psychologist or other person who is the holder of a certificate or license under Section 1000, 1634, 2050, 2472, 2553, 2630, 2948, 3055, or 4938 of the Business and Professions Code, to perform the particular services covered under the terms of the policy, the certificate holder or licensee being expressly authorized by law to perform those services.

(b) If the insured selects any person who is a holder of a certificate under Section 4938 of the Business and Professions Code, a disability insurer or nonprofit hospital service plan shall pay the bona fide claim of an acupuncturist holding a certificate pursuant to Section 4938 of the Business and Professions Code for the treatment of an insured person only if the insured's policy or contract expressly includes acupuncture as a benefit and includes coverage for the injury or illness treated. Unless the policy or contract expressly includes acupuncture as a benefit, no person who is the holder of any license or certificate set forth in this section shall be paid or reimbursed under the policy for acupuncture.

(c) The policy shall not prohibit the insured, upon referral by a physician and surgeon licensed under Section 2050 of the Business and Professions Code, from selecting any licensed clinical social worker who is the holder of a license issued under Section 4996 of the Business and Professions Code, any occupational therapist as specified in Section 2570.2 of the Business and Professions Code, any marriage and family therapist who is the holder of a license under Section 4980.50 of the Business and Professions Code, or any professional clinical counselor who is the holder of a license under Chapter 16 (commencing with Section 4999.10) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code, to perform the particular services covered under the terms of the policy, or from selecting any speech-language pathologist or audiologist licensed under Section 2532 of the Business and Professions Code or any registered nurse licensed pursuant to Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 2700) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code who possesses a master's degree in psychiatric-mental health nursing and is listed as a psychiatric-mental health nurse by the Board of Registered Nursing, or any advanced practice registered nurse certified as a clinical nurse specialist pursuant to Article 9 (commencing with Section 2838) of Chapter 6 of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code who participates in expert clinical practice in the specialty of psychiatric-mental health nursing, or any respiratory care practitioner certified pursuant to Chapter 8.3 (commencing with Section 3700) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code to perform services deemed necessary by the referring physician and surgeon, that certificate holder, licensee or otherwise regulated person, being expressly authorized by law to perform the services.

(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to allow any certificate holder or licensee enumerated in this section to perform professional mental health services beyond his or her field or fields of competence as established by his or her education, training, and experience.

(e) For the purposes of this section:

(1) "Marriage and family therapist" means a licensed marriage and family therapist who has received specific instruction in assessment, diagnosis, prognosis, and counseling, and psychotherapeutic treatment of premarital, marriage, family, and child relationship dysfunctions, which is equivalent to the instruction required for licensure on January 1, 1981.

(2) "Professional clinical counselor" means a licensed professional clinical counselor who has received specific instruction in assessment, diagnosis, prognosis, counseling, and psychotherapeutic treatment of mental and emotional disorders, which is equivalent to the instruction required for licensure on January 1, 2012.

(f) An individual disability insurance policy, which is issued, renewed, or amended on or after January 1, 1988, which includes mental health services coverage may not include a lifetime waiver for that coverage with respect to any applicant. The lifetime waiver of coverage provision shall be deemed unenforceable.

(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 381, Sec. 37. Effective January 1, 2012.)