HOUSE AMENDMENT Bill No. HB 723 CS
1	CHAMBER ACTION
2	Senate House
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12	Representative Farkas offered the following:
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14	Amendment (with directory and title amendments)
15	Between lines 456 and 457, insert:
16	Section 10. Section 627.66912, Florida Statutes, is
17	created to read:
18	627.66912 Optional coverage for speech, language,
19	swallowing, and hearing disorders.--
20	(1) Insurers issuing group health insurance policies in
21	this state shall make available to the policyholder as part of
22	the application for any such policy of insurance, for an
23	appropriate additional premium, the benefits or levels of
24	benefits specified in the December 1999 Florida Medicaid Therapy
25	Services Handbook for genetic or congenital disorders or
26	conditions involving speech, language, swallowing, and hearing
27	and a hearing aid and earmolds benefit at the level of benefits
28	specified in the January 2001 Florida Medicaid Hearing Services
29	Handbook.
30	(2) This section does not apply to specified accident,
31	specified disease, hospital indemnity, limited benefit,
32	disability income, or long-term care insurance policies.
33	(3) Such optional coverage is not required to be offered
34	when substantially similar benefits are included in the policy
35	of insurance issued to the policyholder.
36	(4) This section does not require or prohibit the use of a
37	provider network.
38	(5) This section does not prohibit an insurer from
39	requiring prior authorization for the benefits under this
40	section.
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42	================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T =================
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44	Remove line 37, and insert:
45	extension of benefits provisions; creating s. 627.66912, F.S.;
46	providing for optional coverage in group, blanket, and franchise
47	health insurance policies for speech, language, swallowing, and
48	hearing disorders; providing exclusion; providing exceptions;
49	providing a limitation; amending s. 627.6692,