Text: HF00240                           Text: HF00242
Text: HF00200 - HF00299                 Text: HF Index
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House File 241

Partial Bill History

Bill Text

PAG LIN
  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  514C.14  MANDATED COVERAGE FOR
  1  2 MENTAL HEALTH.
  1  3    1.  a.  Notwithstanding section 514C.6, a policy or
  1  4 contract providing for third-party payment or prepayment of
  1  5 health or medical expenses shall provide coverage benefits for
  1  6 mental health conditions based on rates, terms, and conditions
  1  7 which are no more restrictive than the rates, terms, and
  1  8 conditions for coverage benefits provided for other health or
  1  9 medical conditions under the policy or contract.
  1 10 Additionally, any rates, terms, and conditions involving
  1 11 deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and any other cost-
  1 12 sharing requirements shall be cumulative for coverage of both
  1 13 mental health conditions and other health or medical
  1 14 conditions under the policy or contract.
  1 15    b.  Coverage required under this subsection shall be as
  1 16 follows:
  1 17    (1)  For the treatment of mental illness, coverage shall be
  1 18 for services provided by a health care provider licensed under
  1 19 Title IV, subtitle 3, if the services are provided within the
  1 20 scope of practice of such health care provider and within
  1 21 approved case management guidelines applicable to such mental
  1 22 illness.  Coverage shall include prescription drugs.
  1 23    (2)  For the treatment of alcohol or substance abuse,
  1 24 coverage shall be for services provided by a substance abuse
  1 25 counselor, as approved by the department of human services, a
  1 26 licensed health facility providing a program for the treatment
  1 27 of alcohol or substance abuse approved by the department of
  1 28 human services, or a licensed substance abuse treatment and
  1 29 rehabilitation facility.
  1 30    2.  This section applies to the following classes of third-
  1 31 party payment provider contracts or policies delivered, issued
  1 32 for delivery, continued, or renewed in this state on or after
  1 33 January 1, 2000:
  1 34    a.  Individual or group accident and sickness insurance
  1 35 providing coverage on an expense-incurred basis.
  2  1    b.  An individual or group hospital or medical service
  2  2 contract issued pursuant to chapter 509, 514, or 514A.
  2  3    c.  An individual or group health maintenance organization
  2  4 contract regulated under chapter 514B.
  2  5    d.  An individual or group Medicare supplemental policy,
  2  6 unless coverage pursuant to such policy is preempted by
  2  7 federal law.
  2  8    e.  Any other entity engaged in the business of insurance,
  2  9 risk transfer, or risk retention, which is subject to the
  2 10 jurisdiction of the commissioner.
  2 11    f.  An organized delivery system licensed by the director
  2 12 of public health.
  2 13    3.  For purposes of this section, unless the context
  2 14 otherwise requires:
  2 15    a.  "Mental health condition" means a condition or disorder
  2 16 involving mental illness or alcohol or substance abuse that
  2 17 falls under any of the diagnostic categories listed in the
  2 18 mental disorders section of the international classification
  2 19 of disease, as periodically revised.
  2 20    b.  "Rates, terms, and conditions" means any lifetime
  2 21 payment limits, deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and any
  2 22 other cost-sharing requirements, out-of-pocket limits, visit
  2 23 limitations, and any other financial component of benefits
  2 24 coverage that affects the covered individual.
  2 25    Sec. 2.  INSURANCE DIVISION STUDY.
  2 26    1.  The insurance division of the department of commerce
  2 27 shall conduct a study to determine the impact of providing the
  2 28 coverage required in this Act.  The division shall include in
  2 29 the study all of the following:
  2 30    a.  An estimate of the impact of the mandated coverage on
  2 31 health care coverage benefit costs.
  2 32    b.  Actions taken by the division to assure that third-
  2 33 party payors subject to this Act are in compliance, and that
  2 34 the quality of and access to treatment for mental health
  2 35 conditions, as defined in section 514C.14, are not compromised
  3  1 by providing for coverage parity with other coverage benefits
  3  2 provided for other health or medical conditions under third-
  3  3 party payor contracts or policies.
  3  4    c.  An analysis and comparison of the choices for treatment
  3  5 of mental health conditions provided with regard to level of
  3  6 access, choice, and financial burden on the individual.
  3  7    d.  Identification of any segments of the population of
  3  8 this state that may be excluded from, or have limited access
  3  9 to, treatment for mental health conditions, including the
  3 10 number of citizens that may be excluded from, or have limited
  3 11 access to, treatment under third-party payor policies or
  3 12 contracts provided by employers who receive substantial
  3 13 revenue from public sources.
  3 14    2.  The insurance division shall submit a written report to
  3 15 the general assembly on or before January 15, 2002.  
  3 16                           EXPLANATION 
  3 17    This bill creates new Code section 514C.14 and provides
  3 18 that a policy or contract providing for third-party payment or
  3 19 prepayment of health or medical expenses must provide coverage
  3 20 benefits for mental health conditions based on rates, terms,
  3 21 and conditions which are no more restrictive than the rates,
  3 22 terms, and conditions associated with coverage benefits
  3 23 provided for other conditions under the policy or contract.
  3 24 Mental health conditions are defined to mean a condition or
  3 25 disorder involving mental illness or alcohol or substance
  3 26 abuse that falls under any of the diagnostic categories listed
  3 27 in the mental disorders section of the international
  3 28 classification of disease, as periodically updated.
  3 29    The bill also provides that the insurance division of the
  3 30 department of commerce is to conduct a study to determine the
  3 31 impact of providing such coverage including an estimate of the
  3 32 impact of the mandated coverage on health care coverage
  3 33 benefit costs; actions taken by the division to assure that
  3 34 third-party payors subject to the bill are in compliance, and
  3 35 that the quality of and access to treatment for mental health
  4  1 conditions are not compromised by providing for coverage
  4  2 parity with other coverage benefits provided for other health
  4  3 or medical conditions under third-party payor contracts or
  4  4 policies; an analysis and comparison of the choices for
  4  5 treatment of mental health conditions provided with regard to
  4  6 level of access, choice, and financial burden on the
  4  7 individual; and identification of any segments of the
  4  8 population of this state that may be excluded from, or have
  4  9 limited access to, treatment for mental health conditions,
  4 10 including the number of citizens that may be excluded from, or
  4 11 have limited access to, treatment under third-party payor
  4 12 policies or contracts provided by employers who receive
  4 13 substantial revenue from public sources.  The report is to be
  4 14 provided to the general assembly on or before January 15,
  4 15 2002.  
  4 16 LSB 1490HH 78
  4 17 mj/cf/24.1
     

Text: HF00240                           Text: HF00242
Text: HF00200 - HF00299                 Text: HF Index
Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index

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