Text: HF00062                           Text: HF00064
Text: HF00000 - HF00099                 Text: HF Index
Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index



House File 63

Partial Bill History

Bill Text

PAG LIN
  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  514C.21  MANDATED COVERAGE FOR
  1  2 MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS.
  1  3    1.  For purposes of this section, unless the context
  1  4 otherwise requires:
  1  5    a.  "Mental health condition" means a condition or disorder
  1  6 involving mental illness or alcohol or substance abuse that
  1  7 falls under any of the diagnostic categories listed in the
  1  8 mental disorders section of the international classification
  1  9 of disease, as periodically revised.
  1 10    b.  "Rates, terms, and conditions" means any lifetime
  1 11 payment limits, deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and any
  1 12 other cost-sharing requirements, out-of-pocket limits, visit
  1 13 limitations, and any other financial component of benefits
  1 14 coverage that affects the covered individual.
  1 15    2.  a.  Notwithstanding section 514C.6, a policy or
  1 16 contract providing for third-party payment or prepayment of
  1 17 health or medical expenses shall provide coverage benefits for
  1 18 mental health conditions based on rates, terms, and conditions
  1 19 which are no more restrictive than the rates, terms, and
  1 20 conditions for coverage benefits provided for other health or
  1 21 medical conditions under the policy or contract.
  1 22 Additionally, any rates, terms, and conditions involving
  1 23 deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and any other cost-
  1 24 sharing requirements shall be cumulative for coverage of both
  1 25 mental health conditions and other health or medical
  1 26 conditions under the policy or contract.
  1 27    b.  Coverage required under this subsection shall be as
  1 28 follows:
  1 29    (1)  For the treatment of mental illness, coverage shall be
  1 30 for services provided by a licensed mental health
  1 31 professional, or services provided in a licensed hospital or
  1 32 health facility.
  1 33    (2)  For the treatment of alcohol or substance abuse,
  1 34 coverage shall be for services provided by a substance abuse
  1 35 counselor, as approved by the department of human services, a
  2  1 licensed health facility providing a program for the treatment
  2  2 of alcohol or substance abuse approved by the department of
  2  3 human services, or a substance abuse treatment and
  2  4 rehabilitation facility, as licensed by the department of
  2  5 public health pursuant to chapter 125.
  2  6    3.  This section applies to the following classes of third-
  2  7 party payment provider contracts or policies delivered, issued
  2  8 for delivery, continued, or renewed in this state on or after
  2  9 January 1, 2004:
  2 10    a.  Individual or group accident and sickness insurance
  2 11 providing coverage on an expense-incurred basis.
  2 12    b.  An individual or group hospital or medical service
  2 13 contract issued pursuant to chapter 509, 514, or 514A.
  2 14    c.  A plan established pursuant to chapter 509A for public
  2 15 employees.
  2 16    d.  An individual or group health maintenance organization
  2 17 contract regulated under chapter 514B.
  2 18    e.  An individual or group Medicare supplemental policy,
  2 19 unless coverage pursuant to such policy is preempted by
  2 20 federal law.
  2 21    f.  Any other entity engaged in the business of insurance,
  2 22 risk transfer, or risk retention, which is subject to the
  2 23 jurisdiction of the commissioner.
  2 24    g.  An organized delivery system licensed by the director
  2 25 of public health.
  2 26    4.  The commissioner shall adopt rules to administer this
  2 27 section after consultation with the mental health insurance
  2 28 advisory committee.
  2 29    a.  The commissioner shall appoint members to a mental
  2 30 health insurance advisory committee.  Members shall include
  2 31 all sectors of society impacted by issues associated with
  2 32 coverage of mental health treatment by third-party payors
  2 33 including, but not limited to, representatives of the
  2 34 insurance industry, small and large employers, employee
  2 35 representatives including labor, individual consumers, health
  3  1 care providers, and other groups and individuals that may be
  3  2 identified by the insurance division of the department of
  3  3 commerce.
  3  4    b.  The committee shall meet upon the request of the
  3  5 commissioner to review rules proposed under this section by
  3  6 the commissioner, and to make suggestions as appropriate.  
  3  7                           EXPLANATION
  3  8    This bill creates new Code section 514C.21 and provides
  3  9 that a policy or contract providing for third-party payment or
  3 10 prepayment of health or medical expenses must provide coverage
  3 11 benefits for mental health conditions based on rates, terms,
  3 12 and conditions which are no more restrictive than the rates,
  3 13 terms, and conditions associated with coverage benefits
  3 14 provided for other conditions under the policy or contract.
  3 15 Mental health conditions are defined to mean a condition or
  3 16 disorder involving mental illness or alcohol or substance
  3 17 abuse that falls under any of the diagnostic categories listed
  3 18 in the mental disorders section of the international
  3 19 classification of disease, as periodically updated.
  3 20    The bill also requires the insurance commissioner to adopt
  3 21 rules to administer this section, after consultation with the
  3 22 new mental health insurance advisory committee, whose members
  3 23 are appointed by the commissioner from business, consumer, and
  3 24 health groups.  
  3 25 LSB 1393HH 80
  3 26 jj/cl/14 
     

Text: HF00062                           Text: HF00064
Text: HF00000 - HF00099                 Text: HF Index
Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index

Return To Home index


© 2003 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa


Comments about this site or page? webmaster@legis.iowa.gov.
Please remember that the person listed above does not vote on bills. Direct all comments concerning legislation to State Legislators.

Last update: Tue Feb 18 11:45:08 CST 2003
URL: /DOCS/GA/80GA/Legislation/HF/00000/HF00063/030127.html
jhf