| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to a high deductible health insurance plan |
| 3 | study group; creating a high deductible health insurance |
| 4 | plan study group; specifying membership; requiring the |
| 5 | study group to investigate certain issues relating to high |
| 6 | deductible health insurance plans; requiring the group to |
| 7 | meet and submit recommendations to the Governor and |
| 8 | Legislature; providing an effective date. |
| 9 |
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| 10 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 11 |
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| 12 | Section 1. (1) An 11 member high deductible health |
| 13 | insurance plan study group is created, to be composed of: |
| 14 | (a) Three representatives of employers offering high |
| 15 | deductible health plans to their employees, one of whom shall be |
| 16 | a small employer as defined in s. 627.6699, Florida Statutes, |
| 17 | who shall be appointed by the Florida Chamber of Commerce. |
| 18 | (b) Three representatives of commercial health plans, to |
| 19 | be appointed by the Florida Insurance Council. |
| 20 | (c) Three representatives of hospitals, to be appointed by |
| 21 | the Florida Hospital Association. |
| 22 | (d) The Secretary of the Agency for Health Care |
| 23 | Administration, who shall serve as co-chair. |
| 24 | (e) The Director of the Office of Insurance Regulation, |
| 25 | who shall serve as co-chair. |
| 26 | (2) The study group shall study the following issues |
| 27 | related to high deductible health insurance plans, including, |
| 28 | but not limited to, health savings accounts and health |
| 29 | reimbursement arrangements: |
| 30 | (a) The impact of high deductibles on access to health |
| 31 | care services and pharmaceutical benefits. |
| 32 | (b) The impact of high deductibles on utilization of |
| 33 | health care services and overutilization of health care |
| 34 | services. |
| 35 | (c) The impact on hospitals' inability to collect |
| 36 | deductibles and copayments. |
| 37 | (d) The ability of hospitals and insureds to determine, |
| 38 | prior to service delivery, the level of deductible and copayment |
| 39 | required of the insured. |
| 40 | (e) The methods to assist hospitals and insureds to |
| 41 | determine prior to service delivery status of the insured in |
| 42 | meeting annual deductible requirements and any subsequent |
| 43 | copayments. |
| 44 | (f) The methods to assist hospitals in the collection of |
| 45 | deductibles and copayments, including electronic payments. |
| 46 | (g) Alternative approaches to the collection of |
| 47 | deductibles and copayments when either the amounts of patient |
| 48 | financial responsibility are unknown in advance or there are no |
| 49 | funds electronically available from the patient to pay for the |
| 50 | deductible and any associated copayment. |
| 51 | (3) The study group shall also study the following issues |
| 52 | in addition to those specified in subsection (2): |
| 53 | (a) The assignment of benefits attestations and contract |
| 54 | provisions which nullify the attestations of insureds. |
| 55 | (b) The standardization of insured or subscriber |
| 56 | identifications cards. |
| 57 | (c) The standardization of claim edits or insuring that |
| 58 | claim edits comply with nationally recognized editing |
| 59 | guidelines. |
| 60 | (4) The study group shall meet by August 1, 2005, and |
| 61 | shall submit recommendations to the Governor, the President of |
| 62 | the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by |
| 63 | January 1, 2006. |
| 64 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005. |