House
File
89
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
89
BY
FRY
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
reimbursement
rates
for
health
care
services
1
for
mental
health
conditions,
illnesses,
injuries,
or
2
diseases
provided
to
covered
persons
by
telehealth,
and
3
including
effective
date
and
retroactive
applicability
4
provisions.
5
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
6
TLSB
1131YH
(4)
89
ko/rn
H.F.
89
Section
1.
Section
514C.34,
subsection
1,
Code
2021,
is
1
amended
by
adding
the
following
new
paragraphs:
2
NEW
PARAGRAPH
.
0a.
“Covered
person”
means
the
same
as
3
defined
in
section
514J.102.
4
NEW
PARAGRAPH
.
00a.
“Facility”
means
the
same
as
defined
in
5
section
514J.102.
6
NEW
PARAGRAPH
.
0c.
“Health
carrier”
means
the
same
as
7
defined
in
section
514J.102.
8
Sec.
2.
Section
514C.34,
subsection
1,
paragraph
c,
Code
9
2021,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
10
c.
“Telehealth”
means
the
delivery
of
health
care
services
11
through
the
use
of
real-time
interactive
audio
and
video
,
or
12
other
real-time
interactive
electronic
media,
regardless
of
13
where
the
health
care
professional
and
the
covered
person
are
14
each
located
.
“Telehealth”
does
not
include
the
delivery
of
15
health
care
services
delivered
solely
through
an
audio-only
16
telephone,
electronic
mail
message,
or
facsimile
transmission.
17
Sec.
3.
Section
514C.34,
Code
2021,
is
amended
by
adding
the
18
following
new
subsection:
19
NEW
SUBSECTION
.
3A.
a.
A
health
carrier
shall
reimburse
20
a
health
care
professional
and
a
facility
for
health
care
21
services
provided
by
telehealth
to
a
covered
person
for
a
22
mental
health
condition,
illness,
injury,
or
disease
on
the
23
same
basis
and
at
the
same
rate
as
the
health
carrier
would
24
apply
to
the
same
health
care
services
for
a
mental
health
25
condition,
illness,
injury,
or
disease
provided
in
person
to
a
26
covered
person
by
the
health
care
professional
or
the
facility.
27
b.
As
a
condition
of
reimbursement
pursuant
to
paragraph
28
“a”
,
a
health
carrier
shall
not
require
that
an
additional
29
health
care
professional
be
located
in
the
same
room
as
a
30
covered
person
while
health
care
services
for
a
mental
health
31
condition,
illness,
injury,
or
disease
are
provided
via
32
telehealth
by
another
health
care
professional
to
the
covered
33
person.
34
Sec.
4.
EFFECTIVE
DATE.
This
Act,
being
deemed
of
immediate
35
-1-
LSB
1131YH
(4)
89
ko/rn
1/
2
H.F.
89
importance,
takes
effect
upon
enactment.
1
Sec.
5.
RETROACTIVE
APPLICABILITY.
This
Act
applies
to
2
health
care
services
for
a
mental
health
condition,
illness,
3
injury,
or
disease
provided
by
a
health
care
professional
or
a
4
facility
to
a
covered
person
by
telehealth
on
or
after
January
5
1,
2021.
6
EXPLANATION
7
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
8
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
9
This
bill
requires
a
health
carrier
to
reimburse
a
health
10
care
professional
or
a
facility
for
health
care
services
for
a
11
mental
health
condition,
illness,
injury,
or
disease
provided
12
to
a
covered
person
via
telehealth
on
the
same
basis
and
at
the
13
same
rate
as
the
health
carrier
would
apply
to
the
same
health
14
care
services
provided
to
the
covered
person
by
the
health
15
care
professional
or
facility
in
person.
“Health
carrier”
is
16
defined
in
the
bill.
17
The
bill
amends
the
definition
of
“telehealth”
to
specify
18
that
the
delivery
of
health
care
services
via
telehealth
must
19
include
real-time
interactive
audio,
video,
or
electronic
20
media,
regardless
of
the
location
of
the
health
care
21
professional
or
the
covered
person.
22
The
bill
prohibits
a
health
carrier
from
requiring
an
23
additional
health
care
professional
to
be
located
in
the
same
24
room
as
a
covered
person
while
health
care
service
for
a
mental
25
health
condition,
illness,
injury,
or
disease
are
provided
via
26
telehealth
by
another
health
care
professional
to
the
covered
27
person.
28
The
bill
is
effective
upon
enactment
and
applies
29
retroactively
to
health
care
services
for
a
mental
health
30
condition,
illness,
injury,
or
disease
provided
to
a
covered
31
person
via
telehealth
on
or
after
January
1,
2021.
32
-2-
LSB
1131YH
(4)
89
ko/rn
2/
2