A nongrandfathered individual or small group health benefit plan offered, issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2017, must, at a minimum, include coverage for essential health benefits. "Essential health benefits" means all of the following:

1. (1) The benefits and services covered by health care service contractor Regence BlueShield as the Regence Direct Gold + small group plan, policy form number WW0114CCONMSD and certificate form number WW0114BPPO1SD, offered during the first quarter of 2014. The SERFF form filing number is RGWA-128968362.

2. (2) The services and items covered by a health benefit plan that are within the categories defined in RCW 48.43.005 as "essential health benefits" including, but not limited to:

   1. (a) Ambulatory patient services;
   2. (b) Emergency services;
   3. (c) Hospitalization;
   4. (d) Maternity and newborn care;
   5. (e) Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment;
   6. (f) Prescription drugs;
   7. (g) Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices;
   8. (h) Laboratory services;
   9. (i) Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management;
   10. (j) Pediatric services, including oral and vision care; and
   11. (k) Other services as supplemented by the commissioner or required by the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
3. (3) Mandated benefits pursuant to Title 48 RCW enacted before December 31, 2011.
4. (4) This section applies to health plans that have an effective date of January 1, 2017, or later.
5. (5) This section expires on December 31, 2025.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 48.02.060, 48.49.110, 2024 c 366, 2025 c 25, and 2025 c 171. WSR 26-01-148 (Matter R 2025-12), s 284-43-5602, filed 12/19/25, effective 1/19/26. Statutory Authority: RCW 48.02.060, 48.43.012, 48.43.01211, 48.43.0123, 48.43.0124, 48.43.0126, 48.43.0127, 48.43.0128, and 48.43.715. WSR 20-03-114 (Matter No. R 2019-10), § 284-43-5602, filed 1/16/20, effective 2/16/20. WSR 16-01-081, recodified as § 284-43-5602, filed 12/14/15, effective 12/14/15. Statutory Authority: RCW 48.21.241, 48.21.320, 48.44.460, 48.44.341, 48.46.291, 48.46.530, and 48.43.715. WSR 15-20-042 (Matter No. R 2015-02), § 284-43-8651, filed 9/29/15, effective 9/29/15.]