HOUSE AMENDMENT Bill No. HB 723 CS
1	CHAMBER ACTION
2	Senate House
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12	Representative Farkas offered the following:
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14	Amendment (with title amendment)
15	Between lines 128 and 129, insert:
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17	Section 2. Section 624.603, Florida Statutes, is amended
18	to read:
19	624.603 "Health insurance" defined.--"Health insurance,"
20	also known as "disability insurance," is insurance of human
21	beings against bodily injury, disablement, or death by accident
22	or accidental means, or the expense thereof, or against
23	disablement or expense resulting from sickness, and every
24	insurance appertaining thereto. Health insurance does not
25	include workers' compensation coverages, except as provided in
26	s. 624.406.
27	Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (6) of section
28	627.410, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
29	627.410 Filing, approval of forms.--
30	(6)
31	(b) The department may establish by rule, for each type of
32	health insurance form, procedures to be used in ascertaining the
33	reasonableness of benefits in relation to premium rates and may,
34	by rule, exempt from any requirement of paragraph (a) any health
35	insurance policy form or type thereof (as specified in such
36	rule) to which form or type such requirements may not be
37	practically applied or to which form or type the application of
38	such requirements is not desirable or necessary for the
39	protection of the public. A law restricting or limiting
40	deductibles, coinsurance, copayments, or annual or lifetime
41	maximum payments shall not apply to any health plan policy
42	offered or delivered to an individual or to a group of 51 or
43	more persons which provides coverage as described in s.
44	627.6561(5)(a)2.With respect to any health insurance policy
45	form or type thereof which is exempted by rule from any
46	requirement of paragraph (a), premium rates filed pursuant to
47	ss. 627.640 and 627.662 shall be for informational purposes.
48	Section 4. Section 627.6410, Florida Statutes, is created
49	to read:
50	627.6410 Optional coverage for speech, language,
51	swallowing, and hearing disorders.--
52	(1) Insurers issuing individual health insurance policies
53	in this state shall make available to the policyholder as part
54	of the application for any such policy of insurance, for an
55	appropriate additional premium, the benefits or levels of
56	benefits specified in the December 1999 Florida Medicaid Therapy
57	Services Handbook for genetic or congenital disorders or
58	conditions involving speech, language, swallowing, and hearing
59	and a hearing aid and earmolds benefit at the level of benefits
60	specified in the January 2001 Florida Medicaid Hearing Services
61	Handbook.
62	(2) This section does not apply to specified accident,
63	specified disease, hospital indemnity, limited benefit,
64	disability income, or long-term care insurance policies.
65	(3) Such optional coverage is not required to be offered
66	when substantially similar benefits are included in the policy
67	of insurance issued to the policyholder.
68	(4) This section does not require or prohibit the use of a
69	provider network.
70	(5) This section does not prohibit an insurer from
71	requiring prior authorization for the benefits under this
72	section.
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74	================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T =================
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76	Remove line 31, and insert:
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78	program; amending s. 624.603, F.S.; providing an exception to
79	include workers’ compensation coverages in health insurance;
80	amending s. 627.410, F.S.; exempting individuals and certain
81	groups from laws restricting or limiting coinsurance,
82	copayments, or annual or lifetime maximum payments; creating s.
83	627.6410, F.S.; providing for optional coverage in health
84	insurance policies for speech, language, swallowing, and hearing
85	disorders; providing an exclusion; providing exceptions;
86	providing a limitation; amending s. 627.651, F.S.; correcting a
87	cross