(a) Every insurer authorized to issue group accident and sickness insurance benefit plans, policies, or contracts shall be required to make available, either as a part of or as an optional endorsement to all such policies providing major medical insurance coverage which are issued, delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on or after July 1, 1988, coverage for human heart transplants, including any charges for acquisition, transportation, or donation of a human heart when a human heart transplant is performed. Such coverage shall be at least as extensive and provide at least the same degree of coverage as that provided by the respective plan, policy, or contract for the treatment of other types of physical illnesses. Such an optional endorsement shall also provide that the coverage required to be made available pursuant to this Code section shall also cover the spouse and the dependents of the insured if the insured's spouse and dependents are covered under such benefit plan, policy, or contract.

(b) The optional endorsement required to be made available under subsection (a) of this Code section shall not contain any exclusions, reductions, or other limitations as to coverages, deductibles, or coinsurance provisions which apply to human heart transplants unless such provisions apply generally to other similar benefits provided or paid for under the accident and sickness insurance benefit plan, policy, or contract; provided, however, the optional endorsement may contain a waiting period for the coverage or a delayed eligibility date of not more than 12 months from the effective date of the endorsement.

(c) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to prohibit an insurer, nonprofit corporation, health care plan, health maintenance organization, or other person issuing any similar group accident and sickness insurance benefit plan, policy, or contract from issuing or continuing to issue a group accident and sickness insurance benefit plan, policy, or contract which provides benefits greater than the minimum benefits required to be made available under this Code section or from issuing any such plans, policies, or contracts which provide benefits which are generally more favorable to the insured than those required to be made available under this Code section.

(d) The requirements of this Code section shall be satisfied if the coverage specified in subsections (a) and (b) of this Code section is made available to the master policyholder of the group plan, policy, or contract. Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to require the group insurer, nonprofit corporation, health care plan, health maintenance organization, or master policyholder to provide or to make available such coverage to any insured under such group or blanket plan, policy, or contract.

(e) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to prohibit the inclusion of coverage for human heart transplants that differs from the coverage provided in the same insurance plan, policy, or contract for physical illnesses if the policyholder does not purchase the optional coverage made available pursuant to this Code section.

(f) The provisions of this Code section shall also apply to group accident and sickness insurance policies or contracts issued by a fraternal benefit society, a nonprofit hospital service corporation, a nonprofit medical service corporation, a health care plan, a health maintenance organization, or any other similar entity.