California Code, Insurance Code - INS § 10178

No admitted insurer, union trust fund which administers health, medical, or surgical insurance, or employer which has an insurance company administering its health services program, shall deny, for the reason that the insured incurred no expense, a claim for hospital, medical or surgical services rendered by a nongovernmental charitable research hospital in this state which makes no charge for its services in the absence of insurance. No expense-incurred, group hospital, medical or surgical policy or certificate or union trust fund which administers health, medical, or surgical insurance, or employer which has an insurance company administering its health services program, shall except, limit or reduce benefits for services rendered by a nongovernmental charitable research hospital because it does not charge for its services in the absence of insurance. No expense-incurred individual hospital, medical or surgical policy or certificate or union trust fund which administers health, medical, or surgical insurance, or employer which has an insurance company administering its health services program, shall except, limit, or reduce benefits for services rendered by a nongovernmental charitable research hospital because it does not charge for its services in the absence of insurance.

This section shall apply to every group policy or certificate of expense-incurred hospital, medical, or surgical insurance covering or delivered to a covered individual in this state, notwithstanding the situs of the group master policy pursuant to which the coverage is provided.

As used in this section, charitable research hospital means a hospital that meets all the following criteria: