Florida Senate - 2021                                    SB 1024
       
       
        
       By Senator Brodeur
       
       
       
       
       
       9-01013B-21                                           20211024__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to increasing access to mental health
    3         care; creating s. 624.36, F.S.; requiring the
    4         Department of Financial Services, in collaboration
    5         with the Agency for Health Care Administration, to
    6         establish a system for tracking and monitoring
    7         complaints made to the Division of Consumer Services
    8         of the department regarding coverage and access to
    9         mental health services; requiring the department and
   10         agency to submit a report containing certain data to
   11         the Governor and Legislature by a specified date;
   12         requiring that insurers and health maintenance
   13         organizations provide written notice to certain
   14         persons which includes specified information;
   15         providing an effective date.
   16          
   17  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   18  
   19         Section 1. Section 624.36, Florida Statutes, is created to
   20  read:
   21         624.36 Coverage of and access to mental health services;
   22  tracking and monitoring of complaints; reporting.—
   23         (1) The department, in collaboration with the Agency for
   24  Health Care Administration, shall establish a system to track
   25  and monitor complaints made by insureds covered under individual
   26  or group health insurance policies and subscribers of health
   27  maintenance organizations, including enrollees, to the Division
   28  of Consumer Services of the department regarding the adequacy of
   29  coverage and access to mental health services. By January 1,
   30  2022, the department and the agency shall jointly submit a
   31  report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the
   32  Speaker of the House of Representatives containing data relating
   33  to such complaints, including, but not limited to, the number of
   34  complaints, the causes of the complaints, and whether the
   35  complaints were resolved in a timely manner.
   36         (2) Insurers and health maintenance organizations shall
   37  provide written notice to insureds, subscribers, and enrollees
   38  which includes the federal and state requirements for coverage
   39  of mental health services. Such notice must also include the
   40  statewide toll-free telephone number of the Division of Consumer
   41  Services of the department for receiving and logging complaints,
   42  which may include, but need not be limited to, the challenges of
   43  locating and accessing mental health services, the inflated
   44  expense of receiving such services, and any other complaints
   45  regarding the adequacy of services.
   46         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.