Florida Senate - 2021                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 1024
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì976652;Î976652                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  03/10/2021           .                                
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       The Committee on Banking and Insurance (Brodeur) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete lines 22 - 46
    4  and insert:
    5  complaints; reporting.—
    6         (1)By January 31, 2022, the department shall submit a
    7  report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the
    8  Speaker of the House of Representatives relating to the
    9  disposition of complaints received from insureds and subscribers
   10  of insurers or health maintenance organizations regulated by the
   11  office relating to the access and affordability of mental health
   12  services and benefits during the prior calendar year. At a
   13  minimum, the report must include all of the following
   14  information:
   15         (a)The total number of complaints received.
   16         (b)The nature of complaints, including, but not limited
   17  to, concerns related to access to in-network providers or
   18  facilities; access to inpatient or outpatient services;
   19  availability of specialists; affordability of services;
   20  equivalency of mental health benefits with respect to medical
   21  and surgical benefits; quality of care; and denial of services,
   22  including the types of services denied and the stated reason for
   23  the denials.
   24         (c)The disposition of complaints.
   25         (d)Any recommendations made by the department to the
   26  Legislature for ensuring access to and the affordability of
   27  mental health services to insureds and subscribers.
   28         (2)The department shall make available on its website a
   29  description of mental health benefits required to be made
   30  available pursuant to s. 627.668 and federal law for individual
   31  and group policies and contracts.
   32         Section 2. Section 627.4215, Florida Statutes, is created
   33  to read:
   34         627.4215Disclosures to policyholders; coverage of mental
   35  and nervous disorders.—
   36         (1)An insurer shall make all of the following information
   37  available on its website:
   38         (a)The federal and state requirements for coverage of
   39  mental health services.
   40         (b)Contact information for the Division of Consumer
   41  Services of the Department of Financial Services, including a
   42  hyperlink, for consumers to submit inquiries or complaints
   43  relating to insurer or health maintenance organization products
   44  or services regulated by the department or the office.
   45         (2)On an annual basis, an insurer shall provide written
   46  notice to insureds which must include a description of the
   47  federal and state requirements for coverage of mental health
   48  services. Such notice must also include the website address and
   49  statewide toll-free telephone number of the Division of Consumer
   50  Services of the department for receiving and logging complaints.
   51         Section 3. Section 641.31085, Florida Statutes, is created
   52  to read:
   53         641.31085Disclosures to subscribers; coverage of mental
   54  and nervous disorders.—
   55         (1)A health maintenance organization shall make all of the
   56  following information available on its website:
   57         (a)The federal and state requirements for coverage of
   58  mental health services.
   59         (b)Contact information for the Division of Consumer
   60  Services of the Department of Financial Services, including a
   61  hyperlink, for consumers to submit inquiries or complaints
   62  relating to insurer or health maintenance organization products
   63  or services regulated by the department or the office.
   64         (2)On an annual basis, a health maintenance organization
   65  shall provide written notice to subscribers which must include a
   66  description of the federal and state requirements for coverage
   67  of mental health services. Such notice must also include the
   68  website address and statewide toll-free telephone number of the
   69  Division of Consumer Services of the department for receiving
   70  and logging complaints.
   71         Section 4. This act shall take effect October 1, 2021.
   72  
   73  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   74  And the title is amended as follows:
   75         Delete lines 4 - 14
   76  and insert:
   77         Department of Financial Services to submit a specified
   78         report to the Governor and Legislature by a specified
   79         date; specifying the minimum information the report
   80         must contain; requiring the department to make certain
   81         information available on its website; creating ss.
   82         627.4215 and 641.31085, F.S.; requiring insurers and
   83         health maintenance organizations, respectively, to
   84         disclose specified information on their websites;
   85         requiring insurers and health maintenance
   86         organizations, respectively, to annually provide
   87         certain written notices to insureds or subscribers;