Florida Senate - 2015                                     SB 856
       
       
        
       By Senator Latvala
       
       
       
       
       
       20-00256A-15                                           2015856__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to vision insurance; creating s.
    3         501.501, F.S.; prohibiting specified insurers, prepaid
    4         limited health service organizations, and health
    5         maintenance organizations and third-party
    6         administrators thereof from requiring a licensed
    7         ophthalmologist or optometrist to provide vision care
    8         services under specified circumstances or to purchase
    9         certain materials or services; specifying that a
   10         violation of the section constitutes an unfair or
   11         deceptive act or practice subject to specified civil
   12         and administrative action; providing an effective
   13         date.
   14          
   15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   16  
   17         Section 1. Section 501.501, Florida Statutes, is created to
   18  read:
   19         501.501 Vision insurance plan practices.—
   20         (1) An insurer, a prepaid limited health service
   21  organization, or a health maintenance organization or third
   22  party administrator thereof which is regulated under chapter
   23  627, chapter 636, or chapter 641 may not require an
   24  ophthalmologist licensed pursuant to chapter 458 or chapter 459
   25  or an optometrist licensed pursuant to chapter 463 to:
   26         (a) Provide vision care services as a condition of
   27  participating as a provider of any other type of service to an
   28  insured.
   29         (b) Purchase a material or service used by the
   30  ophthalmologist or optometrist for the provision of vision care
   31  services from an entity in which the insurer, the prepaid
   32  limited health service organization, or the health maintenance
   33  organization or its third-party administrator has a direct or
   34  indirect ownership or financial interest.
   35         (2) A violation of this section constitutes an unfair or
   36  deceptive act or practice under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair
   37  Trade Practices Act, and the violator may be subject to civil
   38  and administrative action by an enforcing authority under part
   39  II of this chapter.
   40         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.