(1) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, a healthcare insurer may not restrict benefits for any hospital stay in connection with childbirth for the mother or newborn child to less than forty-eight (48) hours following a normal vaginal delivery or to less than ninety-six (96) hours following cesarean section.
(2) A healthcare insurer may not require that a provider obtain authorization for prescribing any length of stay required under subdivision (a)(1) of this section.
(3) Subdivision (a)(1) of this section shall not apply if the decision to discharge the mother or her newborn child prior to the expiration of the minimum stay is made by the attending physician in consultation with the mother.