House Bill hb0911e1

                                        CS/HB 911, First Engrossed



  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to mandated health benefit

  3         coverages; requiring the Office of Legislative

  4         Services to contract for completion of a report

  5         on proposed mandated health coverages;

  6         specifying report review requirements;

  7         requiring a report to the Legislature;

  8         providing an effective date.

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

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12         Section 1.  (1)  Using a portion of the funds made

13  available in Specific Appropriation 2556 in the General

14  Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2001-2002, the Office of

15  Legislative Services in coordination with the Agency for

16  Health Care Administration shall contract for the completion

17  of a report assessing the impact of the following proposed

18  mandated health benefit coverages:

19         (a)  Substance abuse.

20         (b)  Contraceptives and infertility.

21         (c)  3.  Mental health services for persons with a

22  serious mental illness. For purposes of this subparagraph, the

23  term "serious mental illness" means any mental illness that is

24  recognized in the edition of relevant manuals of the American

25  Psychiatric Association or by the International Classification

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

27  medical science as caused by biological disorder of the brain

28  and that substantially limits the life activities of the

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

30  schizophrenia, autism, schizoaffective disorders, anxiety and

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                                        CS/HB 911, First Engrossed



  1  panic, bipolar affective disorders, major depression, and

  2  obsessive-compulsive disorder.

  3         (d)  Medical Nutrition Therapy.

  4         (e)  Occupational Therapy.

  5         (f)  Expansion of the current mandate for the off-label

  6  use of FDA-approved pharmaceuticals for the treatment of

  7  life-threatening, chronic, or disabling conditions.

  8         (2)  Such review shall include:

  9         (a)  Those elements for review as specified in s.

10  624.215(2), Florida Statutes, relating to proposals for

11  legislation which would mandate health benefit coverage and

12  review by the Legislature, to what extent the mandated health

13  benefit coverage is part of self-insured plans offered in this

14  state or federally funded programs such as those offered to

15  employees of the United States Postal Service and employees of

16  the Federal Government, to what extent such mandated health

17  benefit coverages are available as part of large group plans

18  versus small group plans, and recent state and federal court

19  and administrative rulings regarding such issues.

20         (b)  The nature of those services being used by those

21  insured persons who currently have a health coverage benefit,

22  including what is included in such coverage, the conditions

23  for which coverage is included, the extent to which such

24  covered persons reach any applicable annual or lifetime

25  benefit cap, utilization and authorization guidelines

26  applicable to such coverage, and inclusion of treatment

27  medications and guidelines applicable to medication coverage.

28         (3)  All insurers, as defined in s. 624.03, doing

29  business in this state, shall provide data requested in order

30  to complete this review.

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                                        CS/HB 911, First Engrossed



  1         (4)  The report shall include information from persons

  2  or organizations proposing mandated health benefit coverages,

  3  as set forth in s. 624.215(2), and a recommendation as to

  4  whether the Legislature should adopt the health benefit

  5  coverage as a mandated coverage.

  6         (5)  Such contract shall be executed by July 1, 2002. A

  7  preliminary report shall be submitted to the President of the

  8  Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by

  9  December 1, 2002, and a final report shall be submitted to the

10  President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of

11  Representatives by February 1, 2003.

12         (6)  Such contract shall be executed by August 1, 2002,

13  and the report shall be submitted to the President of the

14  Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by

15  April 1, 2003.

16         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

17  law.

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