Florida Senate - 2020                             CS for SB 1006
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Health Policy; and Senators Baxley, Perry,
       Rouson, Diaz, Flores, Farmer, Braynon, Harrell, Gruters, Book,
       Hooper, Pizzo, and Cruz
       
       
       
       588-03481-20                                          20201006c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to coverage for hearing aids for
    3         children; creating s. 627.6413, F.S.; requiring
    4         certain individual health insurance policies to
    5         provide coverage for hearing aids for children 21
    6         years of age or younger; specifying health care
    7         providers who may prescribe, fit, and dispense the
    8         hearing aids; specifying a minimum coverage limit
    9         within a certain timeframe; providing an exception;
   10         providing that an insured is responsible for certain
   11         costs that exceed the policy limit; providing
   12         applicability; providing an effective date.
   13          
   14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   15  
   16         Section 1. Section 627.6413, Florida Statutes, is created
   17  to read:
   18         627.6413 Coverage for hearing aids for children.—
   19         (1) A health insurance policy that provides coverage on an
   20  expense-incurred basis for a family member of the insured must
   21  provide coverage for hearing aids, as that term is defined in 21
   22  C.F.R. s. 801.420(a)(1), for children 21 years of age or younger
   23  who are diagnosed with hearing loss by a licensed physician or a
   24  licensed audiologist. Coverage for a hearing aid prescribed to a
   25  child younger than 18 years of age must require the hearing aid
   26  to be prescribed, fitted, and dispensed by a licensed physician
   27  or a licensed audiologist. Coverage for a hearing aid prescribed
   28  to a child between 18 and 21 years of age must require the
   29  hearing aid to be fitted and dispensed by a licensed physician,
   30  a licensed audiologist, or a licensed hearing aid specialist.
   31         (2) The policy must provide a minimum coverage limit of
   32  $3,500 per ear within a 24-month period. However, if a child
   33  experiences a significant and unexpected change in his or her
   34  hearing or a medical condition requiring an unexpected change in
   35  the hearing aid before the existing 24-month period expires, and
   36  alterations to the existing hearing aid do not or cannot meet
   37  the needs of the child, a new 24-month period must begin with
   38  full benefits and coverage.
   39         (3) An insured is responsible for the cost of hearing aids
   40  and related services that exceed the coverage limit provided by
   41  his or her policy.
   42         (4) This section applies to a policy that is issued or
   43  renewed on or after January 1, 2021.
   44         Section 2. This act shall take effect January 1, 2021.