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.