Senate Bill No. 1008
Public Act No. 21-57
AN ACT CONCERNING HEALTH EQUITY, THE CORONAVIRUS
PANDEMIC AND PULSE OXIMETERS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2021) (a) For the purposes of this
section:
(1) "Health care provider" has the same meaning as provided in
section 38a-477aa of the general statutes;
(2) "Health carrier" has the same meaning as provided in section 38a-
1080 of the general statutes;
(3) "Insured" has the same meaning as provided in section 38a-1 of
the general statutes;
(4) "Pharmacist" has the same meaning as provided in section 38a-
479aaa of the general statutes;
(5) "Pharmacy" has the same meaning as provided in section 38a-
479aaa of the general statutes; and
(6) "Pharmacy benefits manager" has the same meaning as provided
in section 38a-479aaa of the general statutes. Senate Bill No. 1008
Public Act No. 21-57 2 of 3
(b) Not later than January 1, 2022, the Department of Public Health,
in consultation with the Insurance Department, shall develop
educational materials to ensure that each health care provider, health
carrier, pharmacist, pharmacy and pharmacy benefits manager doing
business in this state is informed that a pulse oximeter is more likely to
produce an inaccurate blood oxygen level reading for an insured who is
an individual of color as opposed to an insured who is a white
individual.
(c) Not later than July 1, 2022, the Department of Public Health shall:
(1) Post the educational materials developed pursuant to subsection
(b) of this section on the department's Internet web site; and
(2) Distribute the educational materials developed pursuant to
subsection (b) of this section to each:
(A) Health care provider;
(B) Pharmacy; and
(C) Medical school located in this state for dissemination to such
school's students.
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective January 1, 2022) No insurer, health care center,
hospital service corporation, medical service corporation, fraternal
benefit society or other entity delivering, issuing for delivery, renewing,
amending or continuing an individual or group health insurance policy
in this state on or after January 1, 2022, providing coverage of the type
specified in subdivisions (1), (2), (4), (11) and (12) of section 38a-469 of
the general statutes shall deny coverage for an otherwise covered
benefit if such denial is exclusively based on an insured's blood oxygen
level as measured by a pulse oximeter.
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2021) (a) For the purposes of this Senate Bill No. 1008
Public Act No. 21-57 3 of 3
section:
(1) "Health carrier" has the same meaning as provided in section 38a-
1080 of the general statutes; and
(2) "Pharmacy benefits manager" has the same meaning as provided
in section 38a-479aaa of the general statutes.
(b) Not later than July 1, 2022, the Insurance Department shall:
(1) Post the educational materials developed pursuant to subsection
(b) of section 1 of this act on the department's Internet web site; and
(2) Distribute the educational materials developed pursuant to
subsection (b) of section 1 of this act to each health carrier and pharmacy
benefits manager doing business in this state.