MO HB1271

Health carriers and insurers offering vision plans cannot require optometrists to provide optometric or ophthalmic services at plan-limited fees unless those services are covered and reimbursed under the contract.

Providers cannot charge higher fees for non-covered services than their usual and customary rates for those same services.

Contractual discounts cannot reduce fees below what the health plan would pay for covered services, excluding the impact of deductibles, co-payments, coinsurance, waiting periods, or frequency limitations.

Health carriers must provide reasonable reimbursement for covered services and cannot offer nominal or minimal reimbursement to circumvent the requirements of this section.

Defines key terms including "covered services," "health benefit plan," "health carrier," "materials" (lenses, frames, contact lenses, etc.), "optometric services," and "vision plan."