House Bill hb0411

    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                 HB 411

        By Representative Farkas






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to mental illness health

  3         insurance; amending s. 627.6685, F.S.;

  4         extending applicability; requiring the Office

  5         of Legislative Services to contract for

  6         completion of a report on proposed health

  7         benefit coverage for serious mental illness;

  8         providing a definition; specifying report

  9         review requirements; providing an effective

10         date.

11

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

13

14         Section 1.  Subsection (5) of section 627.6685, Florida

15  Statutes, is amended to read:

16         627.6685  Mental health coverage.--

17         (5)  DURATION.--This section does not apply to benefits

18  for services furnished on or after September 30, 2003 2001.

19         Section 2.  Using a portion of the funds made available

20  in Specific Appropriation 2556 in the General Appropriations

21  Act for fiscal year 2001-2002, the Office of Legislative

22  Services shall contract for the completion of a report

23  assessing the impact of proposed mandated health coverage

24  specific to mental health services for persons with a serious

25  mental illness. For purposes of this section, the term

26  "serious mental illness" means any mental illness that is

27  recognized in the edition of relevant manuals of the American

28  Psychiatric Association or by the International Classification

29  of Diseases in effect on October 1, 2000, and affirmed by

30  medical science as caused by biological disorder of the brain

31  and that substantially limits the life activities of the

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                 HB 411

    728-139-02






  1  patient. The term includes, but is not limited to,

  2  schizophrenia, autism, schizoaffective disorders, anxiety and

  3  panic, bipolar affective disorders, major depression, and

  4  obsessive compulsive disorder. Such review shall include:

  5         (1)  Those elements for review as specified in s.

  6  624.215(2), Florida Statutes, relating to proposals for

  7  legislation which mandate health benefit coverage and review

  8  by the Legislature.

  9         (2)  The nature of those services being used by those

10  insured persons who currently have a mental illness coverage

11  benefit, including what is included in such coverage, the

12  conditions for which coverage is included, the extent to which

13  such covered persons reach any applicable annual or lifetime

14  benefit cap, utilization and authorization guidelines

15  applicable to such coverage, and inclusion of treatment

16  medications and guidelines applicable to medication coverage.

17         Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

18  law.

19

20            *****************************************

21                          HOUSE SUMMARY

22
      Extending for 2 years application of provisions for
23    mental health insurance coverage. Requires the Office of
      Legislative Services to contract for completion of a
24    report on proposed health benefit coverage for serious
      mental illness and specifies report review requirements.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.