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The Committee on Banking and Insurance (Gaetz) recommended the

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following amendment:

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     Senate Amendment (with title amendment)

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     Delete line(s) 57-92

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and insert:

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     3.  A health care provider or a health care facility shall,

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upon request, furnish an insured a person, prior to the provision

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of any nonemergency scheduled medical services, a reasonable

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estimate of charges for such services, electronically or in

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writing, as preferred by the patient, and in language that, to

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the extent possible, is comprehensible to an ordinary layperson.

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Such estimate may be based on the contractual price, if one

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exists, between the health care provider or health care facility

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and the person's health insurance company. A patient who is

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uninsured shall automatically receive an estimate of charges

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before the provision of any nonemergency scheduled medical

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service. Such estimate shall reflect the price, undiscounted or

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otherwise, which the health care provider or health care facility

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normally charges uninsured patients for the services. Such

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reasonable estimate does shall not preclude the health care

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provider or health care facility from exceeding the estimate or

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making additional charges based on changes in the patient's

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condition or treatment needs.

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     4.  Each licensed facility not operated by the state shall

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make available to the public on its Internet website or by other

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electronic means a description of and a link to the performance

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outcome and financial data that is published by the agency

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pursuant to s. 408.05(3)(k) and to the charity care discount

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policy of the facility if the facility has such a policy. The

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facility shall place a notice in the reception area that such

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information is available electronically and the website address.

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The licensed facility may indicate that the pricing information

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is based on a compilation of charges for the average patient and

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that each patient's bill may vary from the average depending upon

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the severity of illness and individual resources consumed. The

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licensed facility may also indicate that the price of service is

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negotiable for eligible patients based upon the patient's ability

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to pay.

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     5. Except for a patient who is covered under Medicare or

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Medicaid, a patient shall has the right to receive a copy of an

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itemized bill electronically or in writing, as preferred by the

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patient upon request. A patient has a right to be given an

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explanation of charges upon request.

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================ T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================

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And the title is amended as follows:

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     Delete line(s) 4-18

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and insert:

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amending s. 381.026, F.S.; revising requirements for

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health care providers and facilities in notifying insured

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persons of charges for nonemergency scheduled health care

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services; requiring a comprehensible estimate of charges;

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requiring the estimate to be based on a certain price;

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requiring uninsured patients to automatically receive an

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estimate of charges; requiring a licensed facility not

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operated by the state to make available to the public on

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its Internet website a description of and a link to the

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performance outcome and financial data that is published

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by the Agency for Health Care Administration and to the

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charity care discount policy of the facility; deleting the

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provision that authorizes a licensed facility to indicate

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that pricing information is based on a compilation of

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charges for the average patient; providing an exception to

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the requirement that a patient receive a copy of his or

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her itemized bill; amending s. 395.301, F.S.;

4/7/2008  8:35:00 AM     4-06725-08