HOUSE AMENDMENT Bill No. HB 1573 CS
1	CHAMBER ACTION
2	Senate House
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12	Representative Clarke offered the following:
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14	Amendment (with title amendment)
15	Between lines 618 and 619, insert:
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17	Section 15. (1)(a) The Legislature finds that a
18	significant proportion of the employees of this state are unable
19	to obtain affordable health insurance coverage.
20	(b) The Legislature also finds that employees' being able
21	to obtain and maintain health insurance results in a more stable
22	and productive workforce.
23	(c) The Legislature finds that small employers, health
24	care providers, and community-based organizations are in the
25	best position to assess their needs and propose solutions
26	regarding improving access to health care coverage.
27	(d) The Legislature finds that government regulation and
28	traditional approaches to providing health care coverage can
29	often stifle innovation and may hinder access to obtaining
30	affordable health insurance.
31	(e) The Legislature finds that the implementation of pilot
32	projects offers viable opportunities to implement, test, and
33	evaluate locally based experimental approaches.
34	(f) The Legislature finds that pilot projects provide
35	practical means to assess measures to streamline unnecessary and
36	potentially counterproductive regulation.
37	(2)(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to expand the
38	availability of health care options for uninsured employees by
39	encouraging small employers, health care providers, and
40	community-based organizations to develop innovative alternative
41	approaches to traditional health insurance.
42	(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to establish a
43	process to review requests for the initiation of pilot projects
44	that propose innovative approaches to increase access to
45	affordable health care coverage.
46	(c) It is the intent of the Legislature to have interested
47	parties submit their pilot project proposals for consideration
48	before the 2004 Legislative Session.
49	(3) There is established a review process for submission
50	of proposals for pilot projects initiated by small employers,
51	health care providers, and community-based organizations.
52	Interested parties shall submit proposals, with specific
53	recommendations for legislation, to the Committee on Banking and
54	Insurance of the Senate and the Committee on Insurance of the
55	House of Representatives by January 15, 2004. Proposals for
56	pilot projects shall be based upon the following objectives and
57	requirements:
58	(a) The proposal shall provide health care coverage to
59	employees of small employers groups, as defined in s.
60	627.6699(3)(v), Florida Statutes, that have been without health
61	insurance for at least 6 months prior to the effective date of
62	coverage.
63	(b) To be eligible for coverage, the average income of
64	employees from each participating small employer may not exceed
65	250 percent of the federal poverty level.
66	(c) The proposal must describe the health services to be
67	offered. The nature and extent of health services provided need
68	not be subject to current requirements regarding mandated
69	benefits or limitations or restrictions regarding deductibles,
70	coinsurance, copayments, or annual or lifetime maximum payments.
71	(d) The health care coverage proposed for a pilot project
72	shall be provided in a designated geographic area.
73	(e) The proposal shall emphasize preventive care and shall
74	specify the utilization review measures which will be followed.
75	(f) The proposal must include specifics on pricing,
76	provider reimbursement, and processes to ensure actuarial and
77	fiscal soundness.
78	(g) The proposal shall specify the areas of the Insurance
79	Code and administrative rules by which the project will be
80	governed, based upon the premise that the project shall be
81	subject to regulation only to the extent necessary to protect
82	the participants of the pilot project.
83	(h) The proposal may contain any other options and
84	recommendations that address the goal of making health insurance
85	more available and affordable to employees of small employers.
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87	================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T =================
88	Remove line(s) 66, and insert:
89	to subscribers; providing findings; providing legislative
90	intent; creating a review process for consideration of pilot
91	projects that provide health care coverage for certain uninsured
92	private sector employees; providing proposal objectives and
93	requirements; providing severability; providing an