HOUSE AMENDMENT
Bill No. HB 25A
   
1 CHAMBER ACTION
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Senate House
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12          Representative Ambler offered the following:
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14          Substitute Amendment for Amendment (953847) (with title
15    amendment)
16          Between lines 4900 and 4901, insert:
17          Section 33. Section 440.70, Florida Statutes, is created
18    to read:
19          440.70 Coverage from other insurance
20    policies.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter,
21    so long as an employer provides both health insurance and long-
22    term disability insurance to its employees:
23          (1) The employer shall not provide workers' compensation
24    insurance only for accidents occurring as the result of
25    negligence on the part of the employer. However, the tort
26    immunities that would otherwise apply to the employer under this
27    chapter if workers' compensation coverage were in force shall
28    equally apply if the employer provides the substitute coverage
29    as set forth in this section.
30          (2) For the purposes of wage replacement benefits under an
31    employer-provided disability income policy, the employee shall
32    not be considered disabled to the extent that he or she can
33    return to work unless:
34          (a) The employee has obtained a signed statement from a
35    health care professional, licensed under chapter 458, chapter
36    459, or chapter 460, stating the nature of the disability and
37    that, in his or her medical judgment, considering the
38    requirements of the employee’s job duties, the employee should
39    not return to work; and
40          (b) The duration of such disability is at least 7 days or
41    longer.
42          (3)(a) An employer may require the employee to submit to a
43    followup medical examination at least once every 15 days by
44    another health care professional licensed under chapter 458,
45    chapter 459, or chapter 460. The subsequent examining
46    professional may or may not be in the same medical specialty as
47    the initial professional who certified the employee’s disability
48    status.
49          (b) An employer can require the employee to be seen by an
50    occupational disability physician or psychiatrist certified by
51    the Florida Board of Workers' Compensation or the American Board
52    of Disability Evaluating Physicians for a comprehensive
53    occupational disability assessment if the employee’s disability
54    has prevented a return to work for 60 or more consecutive days.
55          (c) Medical examinations required by this section shall be
56    paid for by the employee’s health insurance provider, subject to
57    the terms of the employee’s health insurance policy, and any
58    copayment or deductible shall be paid for by the employer if the
59    employer is requesting the examination or by the employee if the
60    employee is requesting the examination.
61          (4) Health-related benefits to which an employee is
62    entitled arising out of an accident or job-related illness under
63    this chapter shall be paid for by the employee’s health
64    insurance provider, subject to the terms of the employee’s
65    health insurance policy.
66          (5) Permanent impairment benefits and temporary partial
67    disability benefits to which an employee is entitled arising out
68    of an accident under this chapter shall be paid for by the
69    employee’s disability income insurance provider, subject to the
70    terms of the employee’s long-term disability insurance policy.
71          (6) Any benefits to which the employee is otherwise
72    entitled under this chapter that exceed the available coverage
73    of either the employee’s health insurance policy or long-term
74    disability policy shall be provided by the employer directly or
75    through a supplemental insurance policy.
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77    ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T =================
78          Remove line 89, and insert:
79          Financial Services, if requested; creating s. 440.70, F.S.;
80    exempting employers who provide health insurance and long-term
81    disability insurance; providing for coverage of workers’
82    compensation benefits from such insurance sources; providing
83    alternative requirements; requiring supplemental insurance
84    coverage for certain benefits under certain circumstances;
85    amending s. 627.162,
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