Senate Bill sb1924c1

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    Florida Senate - 2006                           CS for SB 1924

    By the Committee on Health Care; and Senator Peaden





    587-1888-06

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to long-term care coverage;

  3         reenacting and amending s. 409.9102, F.S.;

  4         directing the Agency for Health Care

  5         Administration, in consultation with the Office

  6         of Insurance Regulation and the Department of

  7         Children and Family Services, to amend the

  8         Medicaid state plan that established the

  9         Florida Long-Term Care Partnership Program for

10         purposes of compliance with provisions of the

11         Social Security Act; providing duties of the

12         program; requiring consultation with the Office

13         of Insurance Regulation and the Department of

14         Children and Family Services for the creation

15         of standards for certain information; providing

16         rulemaking authority to the agency for

17         implementation of s. 409.9102, F.S.; providing

18         rulemaking authority to the department

19         regarding determination of eligibility for

20         certain services; creating s. 627.94075, F.S.;

21         requiring the office, in consultation with the

22         agency and the department, to develop standards

23         for designation of eligible long-term care

24         policies and related forms; providing

25         rulemaking authority to the Financial Services

26         Commission for the implementation of the

27         Long-Term Care Partnership Program; repealing

28         ss. 1 and 2 of ch. 2005-252, Laws of Florida,

29         to delete conflicting provisions relating to

30         determining eligibility for nursing and

31         rehabilitative services and establishing a

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    Florida Senate - 2006                           CS for SB 1924
    587-1888-06




 1         Long-Term Care Partnership Program which were

 2         contingent upon amendment to the Social

 3         Security Act; amending s. 4 of ch. 2005-252,

 4         Laws of Florida, to delete a contingency in an

 5         effective date; providing an effective date.

 6  

 7  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

 8  

 9         Section 1.  Section 409.9102, Florida Statutes, as

10  created by section 2 of chapter 2005-252, Laws of Florida, is

11  reenacted and amended to read:

12         (Substantial rewording of section. See

13         s. 409.9102, F.S., for present text.)

14         409.9102  Florida Long-Term Care Partnership

15  Program.--The Agency for Health Care Administration, in

16  consultation with the Office of Insurance Regulation and the

17  Department of Children and Family Services, is directed to

18  establish the Florida Long-Term Care Partnership Program, in

19  compliance with the requirements of s. 1917(b) of the Social

20  Security Act, as amended.

21         (1)  The program shall:

22         (a)  Provide incentives for an individual to obtain or

23  maintain insurance to cover the cost of long-term care.

24         (b)  Provide a mechanism for an individual to qualify

25  for coverage of the costs of long-term care needs under

26  Medicaid without first being required to substantially exhaust

27  his or her assets, including a provision for the disregard of

28  any assets in an amount equal to the insurance benefit

29  payments that are made to or on behalf of an individual who is

30  a beneficiary under the Florida Long-Term Care Partnership

31  Program.

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    Florida Senate - 2006                           CS for SB 1924
    587-1888-06




 1         (c)  Alleviate the financial burden on the state's

 2  medical assistance program by encouraging the pursuit of

 3  private initiatives.

 4         (2)  The Agency for Health Care Administration, in

 5  consultation with the Office of Insurance Regulation and the

 6  Department of Children and Family Services, shall create

 7  standards for long-term care partnership plan information

 8  distributed to individuals through insurance companies

 9  offering approved partnership policies.

10         (3)  The Agency for Health Care Administration is

11  authorized to amend the Medicaid state plan and adopt rules

12  pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement this

13  section.

14         (4)  The Department of Children and Family Services,

15  when determining eligibility for Medicaid long-term care

16  services for an individual who is the beneficiary of an

17  approved long-term care partnership policy, shall reduce the

18  total countable assets of the individual by an amount equal to

19  the insurance benefit payments that are made to or on behalf

20  of the individual. The department is authorized to adopt rules

21  pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement this

22  subsection.

23         Section 2.  Section 627.94075, Florida Statutes, is

24  created to read:

25         627.94075  Florida Long-Term Care Partnership

26  Program.--

27         (1)  The office, in consultation with the Agency for

28  Health Care Administration and the Department of Children and

29  Family Services, is directed to develop standards for the

30  designation of eligible long-term care policies to be issued

31  in accordance with the Florida Long-Term Care Partnership

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    Florida Senate - 2006                           CS for SB 1924
    587-1888-06




 1  Program as described in s. 409.9102 and a form or forms that

 2  shall be used by insurers to assist insureds and the program

 3  in making a determination of eligible policies. Insurers, upon

 4  request of the office, shall provide information necessary to

 5  determine the number of eligible policies, the amount of

 6  benefits paid, and the types and kinds of products offered in

 7  order to monitor the implementation of the program.

 8         (2)  The commission may adopt rules pursuant to ss.

 9  120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement applicable provisions of

10  the Long-Term Care Partnership Program, establish standards

11  for the determination of whether a policy is eligible for the

12  program, establish the proper reporting of benefits paid under

13  partnership-eligible insurance policies, adopt standardized

14  forms to be used by insurers to provide information to

15  insureds and the program regarding the eligibility of the

16  insurer's long-term care policy as a qualifying or

17  nonqualifying policy with the program, and adopt forms to be

18  filed by insurers to report information requested by the

19  office in connection with the program.

20         Section 3.  Sections 1 and 2 of chapter 2005-252, Laws

21  of Florida, are repealed.

22         Section 4.  Section 4 of chapter 2005-252, Laws of

23  Florida, is amended to read:

24         Section 4.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

25  law, except that the amendments to section 409.905, Florida

26  Statutes, and the newly created section 409.9102, Florida

27  Statutes, provided in this act shall take effect contingent

28  upon amendment to section 1917(b)(1)(c) of the Social Security

29  Act by the United States Congress to delete the "May 14,

30  1993," deadline for approval by states of long-term care

31  partnership plans.

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    Florida Senate - 2006                           CS for SB 1924
    587-1888-06




 1         Section 5.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

 2  law.

 3  

 4          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
 5                         Senate Bill 1924

 6                                 

 7  The committee substitute reenacts and amends s. 409.9102,
    F.S., to direct the Agency for Health Care Administration
 8  (AHCA) to establish the Florida Long-term Care Partnership
    Program, in compliance with the requirements of the Social
 9  Security Act as amended by the Federal Deficit Reduction Act
    of 2005, and in consultation with the Office of Insurance
10  Regulation (OIR) and the Department of Children and Family
    Services. The committee substitute requires AHCA to create
11  standards for long-term care partnership policy information
    distributed to individuals and requires OIR to develop rules
12  and regulations governing the sale of partnership policies.
    The committee substitute requires AHCA to amend the Medicaid
13  state plan and requires AHCA and OIR to adopt rules to
    implement its provisions. The committee substitute repeals ss.
14  1 and 2 of ch. 2005-252, L.O.F.

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