SF 2204 — Insurance coverage for eating disorders
SF 2261 — Medication synchronization insurance coverage
HF 2261 — Governmental joint investment trusts
HF 2401 — Prohibit adult who is not a parent/guardian from obtaining or using minor’s credit card
FLOOR ACTION:
SF 2204 requires certain insurance policies, plans or contracts providing for third-party payment or prepayment of health or medical expenses to provide coverage for diagnostic assessment and treatment of eating disorders.
“Eating disorders” include pica, rumination disorder, avoidant or restrictive food intake disorder, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, other specified feeding or eating disorders, or any other eating disorder not otherwise specified. Coverage is limited to medically necessary diagnostic assessment and treatment in accordance with a treatment plan provided by a licensed physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, mental health counselor, advanced registered nurse practitioner, dietician or marital and family therapist acting within their scope of practice. The treatment plan must include a diagnosis, proposed treatment by type, frequency and duration of treatment, goals and all elements necessary for the third-party payment or prepayment of claims. “Treatment of eating disorders” includes medically necessary pharmacy care, psychiatric or psychological care or therapeutic care.
Coverage required is subject to copayment, deductible and coinsurance provisions, and any other general exclusions or limitations of a policy, contract or plan to the same extent as other health or medical services. The required coverage will not limit other benefits that are otherwise available to an individual under a policy, contract or plan.
The Insurance Commissioner, by rule, must define “eating disorders” consistent with definitions provided in the most recent edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. The Commissioner also will adopt rules pursuant to Code Ch. 17A to implement and administer the provisions of the bill. The bill applies to specified individual and group policies, contracts and plans that are delivered, issued for delivery, continued, or renewed in Iowa on or after January 1, 2017.
[3/8: 26-22, party-line (Bertrand, Zaun absent)]
SF 2261 provides insurance coverage for people taking multiple prescription drugs to have all of their medications dispensed on one date each month, if the prescription drugs are a covered benefit. Beginning in 2017, insurance companies would allow for the synchronization at the request of the insured. Costs would be pro-rated for a drug dispensed by a network pharmacy in less than a standard refill amount. Early refill and short fill requests would also be allowed, and ingredient costs and dispensing fees would be paid in accordance with contract rates. States that have implemented medication synchronization programs report greater patient adherence to medications, fewer emergency room and doctor visits, increased communications among prescribing physicians, lower health care costs and overall better outcomes for patients with multiple prescribers, medications or chronic conditions.
[3/3: 49-0 (Chelgren absent)]
COMMITTEE ACTION:
HF 2261 amends current law that allows local governments to jointly invest public funds in a trust if it is operated in accordance with federal law relating to money market funds that have either achieved a specified rating or are registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Recently, the SEC made significant changes to the valuation requirements in the applicable federal rule, and this bill makes parallel updates in Iowa Code. The legislation allows local governments to continue the practice of joint investment trusts with public funds, if the trusts have achieved the required specified rating in accordance with either federal law or with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) requirements for external investment pools. This modification allows governmental investment pools like the Iowa Public Agency Investment Trust (and the local governments that invest in it) and Iowa Schools Joint Investment Trust (and the school districts and community colleges that invest in it) to continue operating as they have for past 25 years without introducing any additional investment risk. The bill passed the House 97-0.
[3/9: short form]
HF 2401 creates a new Code section regarding credit card fraud in Ch. 715A, dealing with forgery and related fraudulent criminal acts. Current law covers a person who uses a credit card to obtain property or services with knowledge that the credit card is stolen or forged, has been revoked or canceled, or use is unauthorized. The bill makes it illegal to apply for a credit card in the name of a minor without the consent of the minor’s parent, guardian or legal custodian. The bill defines a “minor” as anyone under 18. A violation is a class “D” felony. A person who uses the credit card to obtain services or property with a value of less than $10,000 commits a class “D “ felony, punishable by confinement of up to five years and a fine of $750 to $7,500. A person who uses the credit to obtain services or property at a value greater than $10,000, commits a Class “C” felony , punishable by confinement of up to ten years and a fine of $1,000 to $10,000. The bill passed the House on a 96-1 vote.
[3/9: short form]
