| 1 | The Health Care Appropriations Committee recommends the |
| 2 | following: |
| 3 |
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| 4 | Council/Committee Substitute |
| 5 | Remove the entire bill and insert: |
| 6 | A bill to be entitled |
| 7 | An act relating to inflammatory bowel disease; creating |
| 8 | the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Act; requiring the |
| 9 | Department of Health to conduct an inflammatory bowel |
| 10 | disease epidemiology study with the University of Florida |
| 11 | College of Public Health and Health Professions; requiring |
| 12 | the Agency for Health Care Administration to conduct a |
| 13 | chronic disease study on the coverage standards provided |
| 14 | by Medicaid for inflammatory bowel disease therapies; |
| 15 | providing for membership in a study group; requiring |
| 16 | reports to the Governor and Legislature; providing an |
| 17 | effective date. |
| 18 |
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| 19 | WHEREAS, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, and |
| 20 | ulcerative colitis (collectively known as IBD) are chronic |
| 21 | disorders of the gastrointestinal tract which afflict |
| 22 | approximately 47,000 Floridians, and |
| 23 | WHEREAS, inflammatory bowel disease can cause abdominal |
| 24 | pain, fever, and rectal bleeding and complications may include |
| 25 | arthritis, osteoporosis, anemia, liver disease, and colon |
| 26 | cancer, and |
| 27 | WHEREAS, inflammatory bowel disease represents a major |
| 28 | cause of morbidity from digestive illness and, although it is |
| 29 | not fatal, inflammatory bowel disease is often devastating, NOW, |
| 30 | THEREFORE, |
| 31 |
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| 32 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 33 |
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| 34 | Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Inflammatory |
| 35 | Bowel Disease Research Act." |
| 36 | Section 2. Studies; reports.-- |
| 37 | (1) The Department of Health, in conjunction with the |
| 38 | University of Florida College of Public Health and Health |
| 39 | Professions, shall conduct an inflammatory bowel disease |
| 40 | epidemiology study. The goal of the study is to gain a better |
| 41 | understanding of the prevalence of the disease in the state, the |
| 42 | unique demographic characteristics of the patient population, |
| 43 | and the role that environmental factors and family history play |
| 44 | in the development of the disease. The Department of Health is |
| 45 | authorized to convene a study group for the purpose of |
| 46 | conducting an epidemiological study of inflammatory bowel |
| 47 | disease in order to collect demographic information on the |
| 48 | characteristics of the patient population affected by this |
| 49 | disease. The study group shall consist of a representative of |
| 50 | the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, a representative |
| 51 | from one or more of the major universities researching this |
| 52 | disease, a representative from the Agency for Health Care |
| 53 | Administration, a representative from the Department of Health, |
| 54 | including department epidemiologists, a representative from |
| 55 | medical providers, one member of the House of Representatives, |
| 56 | one member of the Senate, and any other individual the |
| 57 | department considers appropriate to participate in the study |
| 58 | group. The department shall submit a report of its findings to |
| 59 | the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of |
| 60 | the House of Representatives by February 1, 2006. |
| 61 | (2) The Agency for Health Care Administration shall |
| 62 | conduct a chronic disease study on Medicaid coverage for |
| 63 | therapies required by patients with inflammatory bowel disease, |
| 64 | such as ostomy supplies, parenteral nutrition, enteral |
| 65 | nutrition, medically necessary food products, and therapies |
| 66 | approved by the Food and Drug Administration for Crohn's disease |
| 67 | and ulcerative colitis. The study will take into consideration |
| 68 | the appropriate outpatient or home health care settings, |
| 69 | identify gaps in Medicaid coverage that impact the health and |
| 70 | quality of life for inflammatory bowel disease patients, and |
| 71 | empower the inflammatory bowel disease community to pursue |
| 72 | appropriate changes in the Medicaid reimbursement policy. The |
| 73 | agency shall submit a report of its findings to the Governor, |
| 74 | the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of |
| 75 | Representatives by February 1, 2006. |
| 76 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005. |