Florida Senate - 2009                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 2256
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 947124                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  03/25/2009           .                                
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       The Committee on Higher Education (Oelrich) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete everything after the enacting clause
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 1. Section 1006.72, Florida Statutes, is created to
    6  read:
    7         1006.72State university student health insurance.—
    8         (1)TITLE.—This act may be cited as the “Student Health
    9  Insurance Protection Act.”
   10         (2)INTENT.—It is the intent of the Legislature that:
   11         (a)State universities assist university students, the
   12  majority of whom have private health insurance coverage, by
   13  billing the private insurer for services received at the
   14  university health center.
   15         (b)State universities requiring mandatory health insurance
   16  coverage recognize private health insurance as an alternative to
   17  the university health insurance coverage.
   18         (c)State universities maximize revenues by collecting
   19  funds from student private health insurers to subsidize the
   20  operations of the university health center and to reduce health
   21  fees or fees for health services to the greatest extent
   22  possible.
   23         (3)STUDENT HEALTH INSURANCE.—Beginning July 1, 2010, each
   24  state university that charges a health fee and fees for services
   25  provided in the university health center and that has a
   26  university health center that employs at least one full-time
   27  physician must:
   28         (a)Bill a student’s private health insurer for services,
   29  prescriptions, or other items provided by the university health
   30  center for which the student is assessed a charge.
   31         (b)Ensure that the university health center is considered
   32  an in-network provider with respect to at least five of the 10
   33  largest health insurance companies or managed care plans
   34  providing coverage in this state.
   35  
   36  Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, a student is
   37  responsible for resolving any outstanding balances owed to the
   38  university health center, subject to the health insurer or
   39  managed care agreement between the university and the health
   40  insurance company or managed care plan.
   41         (4)MANDATORY HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE.—
   42         (a)Beginning July 1, 2010, each state university requiring
   43  students to provide proof of health insurance coverage as a
   44  nonacademic condition of enrollment must comply with the
   45  provisions of this subsection. Such universities shall:
   46         1.Competitively bid any university-sponsored health
   47  insurance.
   48         2.Establish policies outlining acceptable alternative
   49  insurance policies as provided in subsection (5).
   50         3.Bill a student’s private or university-sponsored health
   51  insurer for services, prescriptions, or other items provided by
   52  the university health center for which the student is charged.
   53         4.Ensure that the university health center is considered
   54  an in-network provider with respect to at least five of the 10
   55  largest health insurance companies or managed care plans
   56  providing coverage in this state.
   57         5.Ensure that the university-sponsored insurance and
   58  acceptable alternative insurance policies as provided in
   59  subsection (5) are considered to be creditable coverage as
   60  defined in s. 629.6561(5)(a).
   61         6.In order to prevent double billing, accept the student
   62  health fee as a prepaid copayment, deductible, or payment for
   63  noncovered services, subject to provisions in any managed care
   64  agreement that expressly prohibits such prepayment.
   65         (b)Notwithstanding this subsection, a student is
   66  responsible for resolving any outstanding balances owed to the
   67  university health center, subject to the health insurer or
   68  managed care agreement between the university and the health
   69  insurance company or managed care plan.
   70         (5)ACCEPTABLE ALTERNATIVE INSURANCE.—A domestic student’s
   71  health insurance policy is considered to be acceptable for
   72  purposes of this section if:
   73         (a)The policy meets the definition of creditable coverage
   74  as provided in s. 627.6561(5)(a).
   75         (b)The policy provides, at a minimum, coverage from the
   76  beginning of a semester, 24 hours a day, until the beginning of
   77  the next semester.
   78         (c)The university health center is included in the network
   79  of providers covered by the policy or there are network
   80  providers covered by the policy in reasonable geographic
   81  proximity to the state university campus at which the student is
   82  enrolled.
   83         (6)PROOF OF COVERAGE.—Proof of health insurance coverage
   84  must be provided in the manner and by the date prescribed by the
   85  state university, or the university may require the student to
   86  purchase the university-sponsored health insurance pursuant to
   87  subsection (4) or acceptable alternative insurance pursuant to
   88  subsection (5).
   89         (7)UNIVERSITY-SPONSORED INSURANCE PROVIDERS.—To be
   90  eligible to be considered a university-sponsored insurance
   91  provider for student health care services, the insurance company
   92  or managed care plan must:
   93         (a)Fulfill the requirements to serve as an insurance
   94  carrier, including serving as an entity that provides health
   95  benefit plans in this state, an authorized insurer, a health
   96  maintenance organization, or any other person providing a health
   97  benefit plan that is subject to insurance regulation in this
   98  state.
   99         (b)Comply with a 75 percent loss ratio, so that at least
  100  75 percent of the premiums paid by students for any insurance
  101  purchased through the university must be spent toward medical
  102  services.
  103         (8)REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Each university shall annually
  104  report all revenue generated through private, university
  105  sponsored, and acceptable alternative student health insurance
  106  billing; expenses associated with insurance billing from the
  107  previous fiscal year; and information on health insurance and
  108  managed care plans offered by the university as university
  109  sponsored student health insurance, including the loss ratios of
  110  each plan.
  111         (9)REVIEW AND REPORT.—The Board of Governors of the State
  112  University System shall review student access to health care
  113  services as implemented according to this section, including the
  114  scope and use of services of uninsured students, the means to
  115  improve access to health care for students, the use of revenues
  116  from billing health insurance carriers, the success of
  117  university health centers in becoming in-network providers with
  118  respect to major insurance carriers in the state, and proposals
  119  to improve the benefits and efficiency of student access to
  120  health care services. The board shall provide a report of the
  121  findings from such review to the President of the Senate and the
  122  Speaker of the House of Representatives on or before January 31,
  123  2013.
  124         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.
  125  
  126  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  127         And the title is amended as follows:
  128         Delete everything before the enacting clause
  129  and insert:
  130                        A bill to be entitled                      
  131         An act relating to state university student health
  132         insurance; creating s. 1006.72, F.S.; providing a
  133         short title and legislative intent; providing
  134         requirements for state universities that have health
  135         centers; authorizing a state university to require
  136         student proof of health insurance coverage if certain
  137         conditions are met or to require the purchase of
  138         university-sponsored or other insurance in certain
  139         circumstances; providing that a student is responsible
  140         for resolving outstanding balances owed to a
  141         university health center; providing requirements for
  142         acceptable alternative insurance; providing
  143         requirements for proof of coverage; providing
  144         requirements for university-sponsored insurance
  145         providers; requiring annual reporting by state
  146         universities; requiring that the Board of Governors of
  147         the State University System review and report to the
  148         Legislature on student access to health care services;
  149         providing an effective date.