HOUSE AMENDMENT Bill No. HB 723 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 1320 and 1321, insert:
16	Section 25. (1)(a) The Legislature finds that a
17	significant proportion of the employees of this state are unable
18	to obtain affordable health insurance coverage.
19	(b) The Legislature also finds that employees being able
20	to obtain and maintain health insurance results in a more stable
21	and productive workforce.
22	(c) The Legislature finds that small employers, health
23	care providers, and community-based organizations are in the
24	best position to assess their needs and propose solutions
25	regarding improving access to health care coverage.
26	(d) The Legislature finds that government regulation and
27	traditional approaches to providing health care coverage can
28	often stifle innovation and may hinder access to obtaining
29	affordable health insurance.
30	(e) The Legislature finds that the implementation of pilot
31	projects offers viable opportunities to implement, test, and
32	evaluate locally based experimental approaches.
33	(f) The Legislature finds that pilot projects provide
34	practical means to assess measures to streamline unnecessary and
35	potentially counterproductive regulation.
36	(2)(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to expand the
37	availability of health care options for uninsured employees by
38	encouraging small employers, health care providers, and
39	community-based organizations to develop innovative alternative
40	approaches to traditional health insurance.
41	(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to establish a
42	process to review requests for the initiation of pilot projects
43	that propose innovative approaches to increase access to
44	affordable health care coverage.
45	(c) It is the intent of the Legislature to have interested
46	parties submit their pilot project proposals for consideration
47	before the 2004 Legislative Session.
48	(3) There is established a review process for submission
49	of proposals for pilot projects initiated by small employers,
50	health providers and community based organizations. Interested
51	parties shall submit proposals, with specific recommendations
52	for legislation, to the Committee on Banking and Insurance of
53	the Florida Senate and the Committee on Insurance of the Florida
54	House of Representatives by January 15, 2004. Proposals for
55	pilot projects shall be based upon the following objectives and
56	requirements:
57	(a) The proposal shall provide health care coverage to
58	employees of small employers groups, as defined in s.
59	627.6699(3)(v), Florida Statutes, that have been without health
60	insurance for at least 6 months prior to the effective date of
61	coverage.
62	(b) To be eligible for coverage, the average income of
63	employees from each participating small employer may not exceed
64	250 percent of the federal poverty level.
65	(c) The proposal must describe the health services to be
66	offered. The nature and extent of health services provided need
67	not be subject to current requirements regarding mandated
68	benefits or limitations or restrictions regarding deductibles,
69	coinsurance, copayments, or annual or lifetime maximum payments.
70	(d) The health care coverage proposed for a pilot project
71	shall be provided in a designated geographic area.
72	(e) The proposal shall emphasize preventive care and shall
73	specify the utilization review measures which will be followed.
74	(f) The proposal must include specifics on pricing,
75	provider reimbursement, and processes to ensure actuarial and
76	fiscal soundness.
77	(g) The proposal shall specify the areas of the Insurance
78	Code and administrative rules by which the project will be
79	governed based upon the premise that the project shall be
80	subject to regulation only to the extent necessary to protect
81	the participants of the pilot project.
82	(h) The proposal may contain any other options and
83	recommendations which address the goal of making health
84	insurance more available and affordable to employees of small
85	employers.
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87	================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T =================
88	Remove line(s) 73, and insert:
89	cross references; providing findings; providing legislative
90	intent; creating a review process for consideration of pilot
91	projects which provide health care coverage for certain
92	uninsured private sector employees; providing proposal
93	objectives and requirements; providing an effective date.
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