Bill Text: IA HF215 | 2017-2018 | 87th General Assembly | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: A bill for an act requiring certain health insurance policies, contracts, or plans to provide coverage of applied behavior analysis for treatment of autism spectrum disorder for certain individuals, and including applicability and effective date provisions. (Formerly HSB 41.) Effective 7-1-17, with exception of sections 1, 2 and 3 effective 1-1-18.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Passed) 2017-03-30 - Signed by Governor. H.J. 825. [HF215 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2017-HF215-Amended.html

House File 215 - Reprinted




                                 HOUSE FILE       
                                 BY  COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE

                                 (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 41)
       (As Amended and Passed by the House March 15, 2017)

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act requiring certain health insurance policies, contracts,
  2    or plans to provide coverage of applied behavior analysis
  3    for treatment of autism spectrum disorder for certain
  4    individuals, and including applicability and effective date
  5    provisions.
  6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
    HF 215 (2) 87
    av/nh/md

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 225D.1, subsection 8, Code 2017, is
  1  2 amended to read as follows:
  1  3    8.  "Eligible individual" means a child less than fourteen
  1  4 years of age who has been diagnosed with autism based on a
  1  5 diagnostic assessment of autism, is not otherwise eligible for
  1  6 coverage for applied behavioral analysis treatment or applied
  1  7 behavior analysis treatment under the medical assistance
  1  8 program, section 514C.28, 514C.31, or private insurance
  1  9 coverage, and whose household income does not exceed five
  1 10 hundred percent of the federal poverty level.
  1 11    Sec. 2.  Section 225D.2, subsection 2, paragraph l, Code
  1 12 2017, is amended to read as follows:
  1 13    l.  Proof of eligibility for the autism support program that
  1 14 includes a written denial for coverage or a benefits summary
  1 15 indicating that applied behavioral analysis treatment or
  1 16 applied behavior analysis treatment is not a covered benefit
  1 17 for which the applicant is eligible, under the Medicaid
  1 18 program, section 514C.28, 514C.31, or other private insurance
  1 19 coverage.
  1 20    Sec. 3.  Section 225D.2, subsection 3, Code 2017, is amended
  1 21 to read as follows:
  1 22    3.  Moneys in the autism support fund created under
  1 23 subsection 5 shall be expended only for eligible individuals
  1 24 who are not eligible for coverage for applied behavioral
  1 25 analysis treatment or applied behavior analysis treatment under
  1 26 the medical assistance program, section 514C.28, 514C.31,
  1 27 or other private insurance. Payment for applied behavioral
  1 28 analysis treatment through the fund shall be limited to only
  1 29 applied behavioral analysis treatment that is clinically
  1 30 relevant and only to the extent approved under the guidelines
  1 31 established by rule of the department.
  1 32    Sec. 4.  NEW SECTION.  514C.31  Applied behavior analysis for
  1 33 treatment of autism spectrum disorder ==== coverage.
  1 34    1.  Notwithstanding the uniformity of treatment requirements
  1 35 of section 514C.6, a group policy, contract, or plan providing
  2  1 for third=party payment or prepayment of health, medical, and
  2  2 surgical coverage benefits shall provide coverage benefits for
  2  3 applied behavior analysis provided by a practitioner to covered
  2  4 individuals under nineteen years of age for the treatment of
  2  5 autism spectrum disorder pursuant to a treatment plan if the
  2  6 policy, contract, or plan is either of the following:
  2  7    a.  A policy, contract, or plan issued by a carrier, as
  2  8 defined in section 513B.2, or an organized delivery system
  2  9 authorized under 1993 Iowa Acts, chapter 158, to an employer
  2 10 who on at least fifty percent of the employer's working days
  2 11 during the preceding calendar year employed more than fifty
  2 12 full=time equivalent employees. In determining the number
  2 13 of full=time equivalent employees of an employer, employers
  2 14 who are affiliated or who are able to file a consolidated tax
  2 15 return for purposes of state taxation shall be considered one
  2 16 employer.
  2 17    b.  A plan established pursuant to chapter 509A for public
  2 18 employees other than employees of the state.
  2 19    2.  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise
  2 20 requires:
  2 21    a.  "Applied behavior analysis" means the design,
  2 22 implementation, and evaluation of environmental modifications,
  2 23 using behavioral stimuli and consequences, to produce socially
  2 24 significant improvement in human behavior, including the use of
  2 25 direct observation, measurement, and functional analysis of the
  2 26 relationship between environment and behavior.
  2 27    b.  "Autism spectrum disorder" means a complex
  2 28 neurodevelopmental medical disorder characterized by social
  2 29 impairment, communication difficulties, and restricted,
  2 30 repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior.
  2 31    c.  "Practitioner" means any of the following:
  2 32    (1)  A physician licensed pursuant to chapter 148.
  2 33    (2)  A psychologist licensed pursuant to chapter 154B.
  2 34    (3)  A person who holds a master's degree or a doctoral
  2 35 degree and is certified by a national behavior analyst
  3  1 certification board as a behavior analyst.
  3  2    d.  "Treatment plan" means a plan for the treatment of an
  3  3 autism spectrum disorder developed by a licensed physician
  3  4 or licensed psychologist after a comprehensive evaluation or
  3  5 reevaluation performed in a manner consistent with the most
  3  6 recent clinical report or recommendations of the American
  3  7 academy of pediatrics. "Treatment plan" includes supervisory
  3  8 services, subject to the provisions of subsection 5.
  3  9    3.  a.  The coverage for applied behavior analysis required
  3 10 pursuant to this section shall provide an annual maximum
  3 11 benefit of not less than the following:
  3 12    (1)  For an individual through age six, thirty=six thousand
  3 13 dollars per year.
  3 14    (2)  For an individual age seven through age thirteen,
  3 15 twenty=five thousand dollars per year.
  3 16    (3)  For an individual age fourteen through age eighteen,
  3 17 twelve thousand five hundred dollars per year.
  3 18    b.  Payments made under a group policy, contract, or plan
  3 19 subject to this section on behalf of a covered individual for
  3 20 any treatment other than applied behavior analysis shall not
  3 21 be applied toward the maximum benefit established under this
  3 22 subsection.
  3 23    4.  Coverage required pursuant to this section may be
  3 24 subject to dollar limits, deductibles, copayments, or
  3 25 coinsurance provisions that apply to other medical and surgical
  3 26 services under the policy, contract, or plan, subject to the
  3 27 requirements of subsection 3.
  3 28    5.  Coverage required pursuant to this section may be
  3 29 subject to care management provisions of the applicable
  3 30 policy, contract, or plan, including prior authorization,
  3 31 prior approval, and limits on the number of visits a covered
  3 32 individual may make for applied behavior analysis.
  3 33    6.  A carrier, organized delivery system, or plan may request
  3 34 a review of a treatment plan for a covered individual not
  3 35 more than once every three months during the first year of
  4  1 the treatment plan and not more than once every six months
  4  2 during every year thereafter, unless the carrier, organized
  4  3 delivery system, or plan and the covered individual's treating
  4  4 physician or psychologist execute an agreement that a more
  4  5 frequent review is necessary.  An agreement giving a carrier,
  4  6 organized delivery system, or plan the right to review the
  4  7 treatment plan of a covered individual more frequently applies
  4  8 only to a particular covered individual receiving applied
  4  9 behavior analysis and does not apply to other individuals
  4 10 receiving applied behavior analysis from a practitioner.
  4 11 The cost of conducting a review under this section shall be
  4 12 paid by the carrier, organized delivery system, or plan. A
  4 13 carrier, organized delivery system, or plan shall not change
  4 14 the provisions of a treatment plan until the completion of a
  4 15 review of the treatment plan.
  4 16    7.  This section shall not be construed to limit benefits
  4 17 which are otherwise available to an individual under a group
  4 18 policy, contract, or plan.
  4 19    8.  This section shall not be construed as affecting any
  4 20 obligation to provide services to an individual under an
  4 21 individualized family service plan, an individualized education
  4 22 program, or an individualized service plan.
  4 23    9.  This section shall not apply to accident=only,
  4 24 specified disease, short=term hospital or medical, hospital
  4 25 confinement indemnity, credit, dental, vision, Medicare
  4 26 supplement, long=term care, basic hospital and medical=surgical
  4 27 expense coverage as defined by the commissioner, disability
  4 28 income insurance coverage, coverage issued as a supplement
  4 29 to liability insurance, workers' compensation or similar
  4 30 insurance, or automobile medical payment insurance, or
  4 31 individual accident and sickness policies issued to individuals
  4 32 or to individual members of a member association.
  4 33    10.  This section applies to third=party provider payment
  4 34 contracts, policies, or plans specified in subsection 1,
  4 35 paragraph "a" or to plans established pursuant to chapter 509A
  5  1 for public employees other than employees of the state, that
  5  2 are delivered, issued for delivery, continued, or renewed in
  5  3 this state on or after January 1, 2018.
  5  4    Sec. 5.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  The following provisions of this
  5  5 Act take effect January 1, 2018:
  5  6    1.  The sections of this Act amending sections 225D.1 and
  5  7 225D.2.
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