House Bill 1469

    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 1469

        By Representative Edwards






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to insurance coverage for drugs

  3         to treat chronic, disabling, or

  4         life-threatening illnesses; amending s.

  5         627.4239, F.S.; prohibiting insurers from

  6         excluding coverage for certain drugs in certain

  7         insurance policies; amending s. 641.31, F.S.;

  8         requiring health maintenance organizations

  9         providing coverage for certain drugs to comply

10         with certain requirements; providing an

11         effective date.

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13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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15         Section 1.  Subsection (2) of section 627.4239, Florida

16  Statutes, is amended to read:

17         627.4239  Coverage for use of drugs in treatment of

18  cancer or chronic, disabling, or life-threatening illnesses.--

19         (2)  COVERAGE FOR TREATMENT OF CANCER OR CHRONIC,

20  DISABLING, OR LIFE-THREATENING ILLNESSES.--

21         (a)  An insurer may not exclude coverage in any

22  individual or group insurance policy issued, amended,

23  delivered, or renewed in this state which covers the treatment

24  of cancer or other chronic, disabling, or life-threatening

25  illnesses for any drug prescribed for the treatment of cancer

26  or such illnesses on the ground that the drug is not approved

27  by the United States Food and Drug Administration for a

28  particular indication, if that drug is recognized for

29  treatment of that indication in a standard reference

30  compendium or recommended in the medical literature.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 1469

    519-170-00






  1         (b)  Coverage for a drug required by this section also

  2  includes the medically necessary services associated with the

  3  administration of the drug.

  4         Section 2.  Subsection (39) is added to section 641.31,

  5  Florida Statutes, to read:

  6         641.31  Health maintenance contracts.--

  7         (39)  A health maintenance organization which covers

  8  drugs for the treatment of cancer or a chronic, disabling, or

  9  life-threatening illness shall comply with s. 627.4239.

10         Section 3.  This act shall take effect October 1, 2000.

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13                          HOUSE SUMMARY

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      Prohibits insurers and health maintenance organizations
15    from excluding coverage in insurance policies covering
      treatment of cancer or other chronic, disabling, or
16    life-threatening illnesses for drugs prescribed to treat
      cancer or such illnesses.
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