Wisconsin Administrative Code
Office of the Commissioner of Insurance
Chapter Ins 3 - Casualty Insurance
Section Ins 3.38 - Coverage of newborn infants

(a) Coverage of each newborn infant is required under a disability insurance policy if:

(b) Coverage is required under any type of disability insurance policy as described in par. (a), including not only policies providing hospital, surgical or medical expense benefits, but also all other types of policies described in par. (a), including accident only and short term policies.

(c) The benefits to be provided are those provided by the policy and payable, under the stated conditions except for waiting periods, for children covered or eligible for coverage under the policy.

(d) Benefits are required from the moment of birth for covered occurrences, losses, services or expenses which result from an injury or sickness condition, including congenital defects and birth abnormalities of the newborn infant to the extent that such covered occurrences, losses, services or expenses would not have been necessary for the routine postnatal care of the newborn child in the absence of such injury or sickness. In addition, under a policy providing coverage for hospital confinement and/or in-hospital doctor's charges, hospital confinement from birth continuing beyond what would otherwise be required for a healthy baby (e.g. 5 days) as certified by the attending physician to be medically necessary will be considered as resulting from a sickness condition.

(e) If a disability insurance policy provides coverage for routine examinations and immunizations, such coverage is required for covered children from the moment of birth.

(f) An insurer may underwrite a newborn, applying the underwriting standards normally used with the disability insurance policy form involved, and charge a substandard premium, if necessary, based upon such underwriting standards and the substandard rating plan applicable to such policy form. The insurer shall not refuse initial coverage for the newborn if the applicable premium, if any, is paid as required by s. 632.895(4) (c), Stats. Renewal coverage for a newborn shall not be refused except under a policy which permits individual termination of coverage and only as such policy's provisions permit.

(g) An insurer receiving an application, for a policy as described in par. (a) providing hospital and/or medical expense benefits, from a pregnant applicant or an applicant whose spouse is pregnant, may not issue such a policy to exclude or limit benefits for the expected child. Such a policy must be issued without such an exclusion or limitation, or the application must be declined or postponed.

(h) Coverage is not required for the child born, after termination of the mother's coverage, to a female insured under family coverage who is provided extended coverage for pregnancy expenses incurred in connection with the birth of such child.

(i) A disability insurance policy described in par. (a) shall contain the substance of s. 632.895(5), Stats.

(j) Policies issued or renewed on or after November 8, 1975, and before May 5, 1976, shall be administered to comply with s. 204.325, Stats., contained in . Policies issued or renewed on or after May 5, 1976, and before June 1, 1976, shall be administered to comply with s. 632.895(5), Stats., contained in . Policies issued or renewed on or after June 1, 1976, shall be amended to comply with the requirements of s. 632.895(5), Stats.