HB 885

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to state university student health
3	insurance; creating s. 1006.72, F.S.; providing a short
4	title and legislative intent; providing requirements for
5	state universities with health centers; authorizing a
6	state university to require student proof of health
7	insurance coverage if certain conditions are met or to
8	require the purchase of university-sponsored or other
9	insurance in certain circumstances; requiring student
10	responsibility for resolving outstanding balances owed a
11	university health center; requiring the cost of health
12	insurance to be included in calculation of financial aid
13	awards; providing requirements for acceptable alternative
14	insurance; providing requirements for proof of coverage;
15	providing requirements for university-sponsored insurance
16	providers; requiring annual reporting by state
17	universities; providing duties of the Board of Governors
18	and the Office of Insurance Regulation of the Department
19	of Financial Services; requiring the Board of Governors to
20	review and report to the Legislature on student access to
21	health care services; providing an effective date.
22
23	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
24
25	Section 1.  Section 1006.72, Florida Statutes, is created
26	to read:
27	1006.72  State university student health insurance.--
28	(1)  TITLE.--This section may be cited as the "Student
29	Health Insurance Protection Act."
30	(2)  INTENT.--It is the intent of the Legislature that:
31	(a)  State university students be provided high-quality
32	health services.
33	(b)  State universities ensure that students who have
34	private health insurance coverage have access to health care
35	services through billing the private insurer for services
36	received at the university health center.
37	(c)  State universities that require mandatory health
38	insurance coverage recognize private health insurance as an
39	alternative to the university health insurance coverage.
40	(d)  State universities maximize revenues by collecting
41	funds from student private health insurers to subsidize the
42	operations of the university health center, to reduce health
43	fees to the greatest extent possible, and to create student
44	health insurance scholarships for those students without private
45	health insurance coverage.
46	(3)  STUDENT HEALTH INSURANCE.--State universities that
47	have university health centers that employ at least one full-
48	time physician must:
49	(a)  Bill a student's private health insurer for services,
50	prescriptions, or other items provided by the university health
51	center for which the student is charged.
52	(b)  Ensure that the university health center is considered
53	an in-network provider with at least five of the 10 largest
54	health insurance companies or managed care plans providing
55	coverage in the state.
56
57	Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, a student is
58	responsible for resolving any outstanding balances owed the
59	university health center, subject to the health insurer or
60	managed care agreement between the university and the health
61	insurance company or managed care plan, prior to registering for
62	a subsequent term unless other arrangements are approved by the
63	university.
64	(4)  MANDATORY HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE.--
65	(a)  Each state university that meets the conditions
66	provided in this subsection may require students to provide
67	proof of health insurance coverage as a nonacademic condition of
68	enrollment. Such universities may offer student health insurance
69	coverage and may require domestic students who do not otherwise
70	provide proof of acceptable health insurance coverage to
71	purchase the university-sponsored or other acceptable insurance
72	as a nonacademic condition of enrollment.
73	(b)  In order to require proof of health insurance coverage
74	as a nonacademic condition of enrollment, state universities
75	shall:
76	1.  Competitively bid any university-sponsored health
77	insurance.
78	2.  Establish policies that outline acceptable alternative
79	insurance policies as provided in subsection (5).
80	3.  Bill a student's private or university-sponsored health
81	insurer for services, prescriptions, or other items provided by
82	the university health center for which the student is charged.
83	4.  Ensure that the university health center is considered
84	an in-network provider with at least five of the 10 largest
85	health insurance companies or managed care plans providing
86	coverage in the state.
87	5.  Ensure that the university-sponsored insurance and
88	acceptable alternative insurance policies as provided in
89	subsection (5) cover, at a minimum, the level of services in the
90	standard health benefit plan as described in s.
91	627.6699(12)(b)4.
92	6.  In order to prevent double billing, accept the student
93	health fee as a prepaid copayment, deductible, or noncovered
94	service, subject to provisions in any managed care agreement
95	that expressly prohibits such prepayment.
96	7.  Use at least 10 percent of all net revenues generated
97	through insurance collections to provide subsidies for uninsured
98	students to purchase university-sponsored insurance or an
99	alternative insurance policy as provided in subsection (5).
100	(c)  Notwithstanding this subsection, a student is
101	responsible for resolving any outstanding balances owed the
102	university health center, subject to the health insurer or
103	managed care agreement between the university and the health
104	insurance company or managed care plan, prior to registering for
105	a subsequent term unless other arrangements are approved by the
106	university.
107	(d)  The cost of health insurance shall be deemed a "cost
108	of attendance" as that term is used in financial aid
109	determinations and shall be included in the calculation of
110	financial aid awards for students.
111	(5)  ACCEPTABLE ALTERNATIVE INSURANCE.--A domestic
112	student's health insurance policy is considered to be acceptable
113	for purposes of this section if:
114	(a)  The policy meets the level of services in the standard
115	health benefit plan as described in s. 627.6699(12)(b)4.
116	(b)  The policy provides, at a minimum, coverage from the
117	beginning of a semester, 24 hours a day, until the beginning of
118	the next semester.
119	(c)  The university health center is included in the
120	network of providers covered by the policy or there are network
121	providers covered by the policy in reasonable geographic
122	proximity to the state university campus where the student is
123	enrolled.
124	(6)  PROOF OF COVERAGE.--Proof of health insurance coverage
125	must be provided in the manner and by the date prescribed by the
126	state university or the university may require the student to
127	purchase the university-sponsored health insurance pursuant to
128	subsection (4) or acceptable alternative insurance pursuant to
129	subsection (5).
130	(7)  UNIVERSITY-SPONSORED INSURANCE PROVIDERS.--To be
131	eligible to be considered a university-sponsored insurance
132	provider for student health care services, the insurance company
133	or managed care plan must:
134	(a)  Fulfill the requirements to serve as an insurance
135	carrier, including an entity that provides health benefit plans
136	in this state, an authorized insurer, a health maintenance
137	organization, or any other person providing a health benefit
138	plan that is subject to insurance regulation in this state as
139	defined in s. 627.6699.
140	(b)  Comply with the loss ratios established by the Office
141	of Insurance Regulation of the Department of Financial Services,
142	which require that at least 75 percent of the premiums students
143	pay from any insurance purchased through the university must be
144	spent on medical services. The loss ratio shall be assessed
145	under the Office of Insurance Regulation's processes to measure
146	loss ratios in the small group carrier insurance programs.
147	(8)  REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.--By August 1 of each year,
148	each state university shall report all revenue generated through
149	private, university-sponsored, and acceptable alternative
150	student health insurance billing; expenses associated with
151	insurance billing from the previous fiscal year; information on
152	health insurance and managed care plans offered by the
153	university as university-sponsored student health insurance,
154	including fiscal status and the loss ratios of each and in the
155	aggregate for the university-sponsored plans, as defined by the
156	Office of Insurance Regulation of the Department of Financial
157	Services; the number of uninsured students each university has
158	enrolled; the subsidies provided to uninsured students for
159	health insurance, including the total dollar amount and the
160	percentage of revenue, through insurance collections used to
161	subsidize insurance purchase pursuant to subparagraph (4)(b)7.;
162	and any other information deemed necessary by the Office of
163	Insurance Regulation to ensure student access to health care
164	services through health insurance.
165	(9)  PREMIUM REDUCTIONS AND ENHANCED BENEFITS.--The Board
166	of Governors shall work with the state universities, the Office
167	of Insurance Regulation of the Department of Financial Services,
168	and the health insurance providers in the state to reduce
169	premiums and enhance benefits for the health insurance coverage
170	available to students attending state universities.
171	(10)  REVIEW AND REPORT.--The Board of Governors shall
172	review student access to health care services as implemented
173	according to this section, including the scope and use of
174	services of uninsured students, the means to improve access to
175	health care for students, the use of revenues from billing
176	health insurance carriers, the success of university health
177	centers in becoming in-network providers with major health
178	insurance carriers in the state, and proposals to improve the
179	benefits and efficiency of student access to health care
180	services, and shall provide a report to the President of the
181	Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by
182	January 31, 2012.
183	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.