Nebraska § 44-513 - Osteopathic medicine and surgery, chiropractic, optometry, psychology, dentistry, podiatry, or mental health service; policy; provisions.

§ 44-513. Osteopathic medicine and surgery, chiropractic, optometry, psychology, dentistry, podiatry, or mental health service; policy; provisions.

Whenever any insurer provides by contract, policy, certificate, or any other means whatsoever for a service, or for the partial or total reimbursement, payment, or cost of a service, to or on behalf of any of its policyholders, group policyholders, subscribers, or group subscribers or any person or group of persons, which service may be legally performed by a person licensed in this state for the practice of osteopathic medicine and surgery, chiropractic, optometry, psychology, dentistry, podiatry, or mental health practice or by a person who holds a privilege to practice in Nebraska as a professional counselor under the Licensed Professional Counselors Interstate Compact, the person rendering such service or such policyholder, subscriber, or other person shall be entitled to such partial or total reimbursement, payment, or cost of such service, whether the service is performed by a duly licensed medical doctor or by a duly licensed osteopathic physician, chiropractor, optometrist, psychologist, dentist, podiatrist, or mental health practitioner or duly privileged professional counselor. This section shall not limit the negotiation of preferred provider policies and contracts under sections 44-4101 to 44-4113.

The plain language of this section does not require insurance policies to charge identical copayments for a covered service, regardless of the type of provider. Cookson v. Ramge, 299 Neb. 128, 907 N.W.2d 296 (2018).