An Act To Ensure Reasonable Access to Laboratory Testing and Imaging Services for State Employee Health Care Plan Participants
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 1648
Committee: Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services
Sponsors: JACKSON
Amends: 5 MRSA §286-C

Legislative Document
No. 1648
S.P. 534
In Senate, May 5, 2021
An Act To Ensure Reasonable Access to Laboratory Testing and 
Imaging Services for State Employee Health Care Plan Participants
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on May 3, 2021.  Referred to the Committee on 
Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered 
printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by President JACKSON of Aroostook.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §286-C is enacted to read:
§286-C.  Access to participating providers of laboratory testing and imaging services
1.  Adequate access to laboratories and imaging facilities.  The Department of 
Administrative and Financial Services shall, in coordination with any health benefit carrier 
administering the state employee health insurance program pursuant to this subchapter, 
ensure that state employees or retirees participating in the program have access to 
laboratory testing and imaging services, including magnetic resonance imaging, 
computerized tomography, mammography and radiology, from a participating provider 
within 100 miles of the participating state employee's or retiree's residential address or that 
a participating state employee or retiree without a participating provider of laboratory 
testing or imaging services located within that range may obtain laboratory testing or 
imaging services at no greater cost to the participating state employee or retiree than if the 
testing or services were obtained from a participating provider.
2.  Participating provider information; notice of error.  Upon request from a 
participating state employee or retiree, the Department of Administrative and Financial 
Services shall provide the location and contact information of the participating provider of 
laboratory testing or imaging services nearest the residential address of the participating 
state employee or retiree.  If the department discovers an error in the information provided 
to a participating state employee or retiree under this subsection, the department shall, 
within 30 days of the discovery of the error, notify the participating state employee or 
retiree of the error and provide corrected information to the participating state employee or 
retiree.
3.  Rulemaking.  The Department of Administrative and Financial Services may adopt 
rules for the implementation of this section.  Rules adopted under this subsection are routine 
technical rules as defined in chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Department of Administrative and Financial Services to 
coordinate with health benefit carriers administering the state employee health insurance 
program to ensure that state employees and retirees participating in the state employee 
health insurance program have access to participating providers of laboratory testing and 
imaging services within 100 miles of their residential address or can obtain laboratory 
testing and imaging services from out-of-network providers at no additional cost to 
themselves.  The bill requires the department to provide information on participating 
providers of laboratory testing and imaging services to participating state employees and 
retirees and to notify a participant of any error in the information it provides within 30 days 
of the discovery of the error.  The bill permits the department to adopt routine technical 
rules to implement the requirements of this legislation.