Bill Text: CA AB1826 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Health care coverage: prescriptions.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2010-08-12 - In committee: Held under submission. [AB1826 Detail]

Download: California-2009-AB1826-Introduced.html

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BILL NUMBER: AB 1826	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Huffman
   (Coauthor: Senator Price)

                        FEBRUARY 11, 2010

   An act to add Section 1367.225 to the Health and Safety Code, and
to add Section 10123.197 to the Insurance Code, relating to health
care coverage.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1826, as introduced, Huffman. Health care coverage:
prescriptions.
   Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975,
provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service
plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful
violation of the act's requirements a crime. Existing law provides
for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance.
Existing law requires a health care service plan contract or a
health insurance policy that covers prescription drug benefits to
provide specified coverage to subscribers, enrollees, and insureds.
   This bill would prohibit a health care service plan or a health
insurer covering prescription drug benefits from requiring a
subscriber, enrollee, or insured who has been prescribed a product
for the treatment of pain by his or her health care provider to use a
different specified product prior to authorizing coverage of the
product prescribed by the health care provider.
   Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements with
respect to health care service plans would be a crime, the bill would
impose a state-mandated local program.
   The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local
agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.
   This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this
act for a specified reason.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: yes.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 1367.225 is added to the Health and Safety
Code, to read:
   1367.225.  (a) No health care service plan that covers
prescription drug benefits shall require a subscriber or enrollee who
has been prescribed a product for the treatment of pain by his or
her health care provider to use an alternative prescription or an
over-the-counter product prior to authorizing coverage of the product
prescribed by the health care provider.
   (b) This section does not prohibit a health care service plan from
charging a subscriber or enrollee a copayment or a deductible for
prescription drug benefits or from setting forth, by contract,
limitations on maximum coverage of prescription drug benefits,
provided that the copayments, deductibles, or limitations are
reported to, and held unobjectionable by, the director and set forth
to the subscriber or enrollee pursuant to the disclosure provisions
of Section 1363.
  SEC. 2.  Section 10123.197 is added to the Insurance Code, to read:

   10123.197.  (a) No health insurer that covers prescription drug
benefits shall require an insured who has been prescribed a product
for the treatment of pain by his or her health care provider to use
an alternative prescription or an over-the-counter product prior to
authorizing coverage of the product prescribed by the health care
provider.
   (b) This section does not prohibit a health insurance policy from
charging an insured a copayment or a deductible for prescription drug
benefits or from setting forth, by contract, limitations on maximum
coverage of prescription drug benefits, provided that the copayments,
deductibles, or limitations are reported to, and held
unobjectionable by, the commissioner and set forth to the insured
pursuant to the disclosure provisions of Section 10603.
  SEC. 3.  No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the
Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the
meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
Constitution.