| 1 | The Insurance Committee recommends the following: |
| 2 |
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| 3 | Council/Committee Substitute |
| 4 | Remove the entire bill and insert: |
| 5 | A bill to be entitled |
| 6 | An act relating to Lyme disease; creating the Panel on |
| 7 | Lyme Disease; providing for membership, duties, and |
| 8 | meetings; requiring a report and recommendations for |
| 9 | legislation to the Governor and Legislature; providing for |
| 10 | repeal of the panel; providing an effective date. |
| 11 |
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| 12 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Section 1. Panel on Lyme Disease.-- |
| 15 | (1) There is created the Panel on Lyme Disease. The |
| 16 | Secretary of Health, or his or her designee, shall serve as head |
| 17 | of the panel. The Commissioner of Insurance Regulation, the |
| 18 | Insurance Consumer Advocate, and the Secretary of Health Care |
| 19 | Administration, or their respective designees, shall serve as |
| 20 | panelists. The departments and agencies represented on the panel |
| 21 | shall provide staff support and resources to the panel. The |
| 22 | panel shall meet as often as necessary to carry out its duties. |
| 23 | (2) The panel shall study the issues relating to the |
| 24 | diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease, including such factors |
| 25 | as appropriate medical treatments and interventions, the costs |
| 26 | associated with the treatment and interventions, the |
| 27 | implications of requiring group and individual health insurance |
| 28 | policies, as well as managed care organizations, to cover |
| 29 | appropriate treatments for Lyme disease, and other related |
| 30 | subjects identified by the panel. |
| 31 | (3) The panel shall seek input, comments, information, and |
| 32 | recommendations regarding Lyme disease from persons diagnosed as |
| 33 | having the disease, health care providers who treat Lyme |
| 34 | disease, health insurers, public health officials, and other |
| 35 | parties determined by the panel to have pertinent information |
| 36 | regarding Lyme disease. |
| 37 | (4) The panel shall prepare a report of its findings, |
| 38 | including recommended legislation, if appropriate, by February |
| 39 | 15, 2007. The report shall be submitted to the Governor, the |
| 40 | Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President of the |
| 41 | Senate, the majority and minority leaders of each house of the |
| 42 | Legislature, and the chairs of the standing committees of each |
| 43 | house of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health |
| 44 | insurance issues. The panel may include in its report |
| 45 | recommendations for complying with s. 624.215, Florida Statutes, |
| 46 | as appropriate. |
| 47 | (5) This section is repealed June 30, 2007. |
| 48 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |