Health insurance; reporting requirements.

The definition of a covered 'mammogram' was refined to specify equipment standards and radiation exposure limits to ensure quality screening.

New mandates were added to cover patient costs for cancer clinical trials and to provide coverage for morbid obesity treatment via gastric bypass surgery.

A new section establishes a formal arbitration process to resolve payment disputes between health carriers and out-of-network providers, including specific timelines and fee structures.

The repealed section 38.2-5601, which contained specific reporting requirements for health carriers, was removed from the Code of Virginia.

The requirement for the Managed Care Ombudsman to report annually was updated to include a summary of significant new developments in federal and state health insurance laws.

The deadline for the Managed Care Ombudsman to submit an annual report was changed from January 1 to December 1.

New definitions were added for terms such as 'Cooperative group', 'Multiple project assurance contract', and 'Patient cost' to clarify coverage for clinical trials.