Florida Senate - 2020                              CS for SB 736
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Banking and Insurance; and Senator Diaz
       
       
       
       
       
       597-02423-20                                           2020736c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to coverage for air ambulance
    3         services; creating ss. 627.42397 and 641.514, F.S.;
    4         defining terms; requiring health insurers and health
    5         maintenance organizations, respectively, to provide
    6         reasonable reimbursement to air ambulance services for
    7         certain covered services; providing that such
    8         reimbursement may be reduced only by certain amounts;
    9         providing that reasonable reimbursement must serve as
   10         full and final payment to the air ambulance service;
   11         providing that provisions of this act are not
   12         severable; providing an effective date.
   13          
   14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   15  
   16         Section 1. Section 627.42397, Florida Statutes, is created
   17  to read:
   18         627.42397 Coverage for air ambulance services.—
   19         (1) As used in this section, the term:
   20         (a) “Air ambulance service” has the same meaning as
   21  provided in s. 401.23.
   22         (b) “Health insurer” means an authorized insurer offering
   23  health insurance as defined in s. 624.603.
   24         (c) “Reasonable reimbursement” means reimbursement that
   25  considers the actual cost of services rendered, the operation of
   26  an air ambulance service by a county which operates entirely
   27  within a designated area of critical state concern as determined
   28  by the Department of Economic Opportunity, and in-network
   29  reimbursement established by the insurer for the specific
   30  policy. The term does not include billed charges for the cost of
   31  services rendered.
   32         (2) A health insurance policy must require a health insurer
   33  to provide reasonable reimbursement to an air ambulance service
   34  for covered nonemergency and emergency services provided to an
   35  insured in accordance with the coverage terms of the policy.
   36  Such reasonable reimbursement may be reduced only by applicable
   37  copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles. The reasonable
   38  reimbursement must serve as full and final payment to the air
   39  ambulance service.
   40         Section 2. Section 641.514, Florida Statutes, is created to
   41  read:
   42         641.514 Coverage for air ambulance services.—
   43         (1) As used in this section, the term:
   44         (a) “Air ambulance service” has the same meaning as
   45  provided in s. 401.23.
   46         (b) “Reasonable reimbursement” means reimbursement that
   47  considers the actual cost of services rendered, the operation of
   48  an air ambulance service by a county which operates entirely
   49  within a designated area of critical state concern as determined
   50  by the Department of Economic Opportunity, and in-network
   51  reimbursement established by the health maintenance organization
   52  for the specific health maintenance contract. The term does not
   53  include billed charges for the cost of services rendered.
   54         (2) A health maintenance contract must require a health
   55  maintenance organization to provide reasonable reimbursement to
   56  an air ambulance service for covered nonemergency and emergency
   57  services provided to a subscriber in accordance with the
   58  coverage terms of the contract. Such reasonable reimbursement
   59  may be reduced only by applicable copayments, coinsurance, and
   60  deductibles. The reasonable reimbursement must serve as full and
   61  final payment to the air ambulance service.
   62         Section 3. If any provision of s. 627.42397 or s. 641.514,
   63  Florida Statutes, as created by this act is determined to be
   64  invalid or inoperative for any reason, the remaining provisions
   65  thereof shall be deemed to be void and of no effect. To this
   66  end, the Legislature declares that it would not have enacted any
   67  of the provisions of s. 627.42397 or s. 641.514, Florida
   68  Statutes, individually, and expressly finds them not to be
   69  severable.
   70         Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.