HCS SCS#2 SB 9 -- HEALTH CARE

SPONSOR:  Champion (Wilson, 130)

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Special Committee on
Health Insurance by a vote of 14 to 0.

This substitute changes the laws regarding health care.

HOSPITAL DISTRICT SALES TAXES

Hospital districts in certain counties, including Ripley County,
upon voter approval, are authorized to abolish the hospital
district property tax and impose a retail sales tax of up to 1%
for funding the hospital district.  Moneys collected from the tax
will be deposited into the newly created Hospital District Sales
Tax Fund with 1% retained and deposited into the General Revenue
Fund by the Director of the Department of Revenue for the cost of
collection.

MO HEALTHNET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

The membership of the MO HealthNet Oversight Committee is
increased from 18 to 19 members and adds additional conditions
and specifications on its membership including a requirement to
have a mental health professional and an optometrist on the
committee.

HEALTH CARE CLAIMS

Health insurance carriers will be allowed 45 processing days,
instead of the current 45 calendar days, to pay a claim.

HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR AUTISM

Health insurance carriers offering health benefit plans which are
delivered, issued, continued, or renewed on or after August 28,
2010, must offer group coverage for autism spectrum disorder
(ASD) for necessary medical services for enrollees diagnosed with
the disorder.  Any individual providing the medical services must
be a licensed health care practitioner.  Coverage for ASD can be
subject to plan restrictions, exclusions, and limitations and
will not include services, supplies, or equipment that comes from
a publicly funded program, is provided by a family member or
unlicensed provider, is considered educational or instructional,
or is not directly provided to the individual with ASD.

Individually sold health benefit plans and certain other
supplemental insurance policies are not subject to the ASD
coverage requirements.

The substitute contains an emergency clause for the provisions
regarding hospital district sales taxes.

FISCAL NOTE:  Estimated Effect on General Revenue Fund of an
income of $0 or Unknown to a cost of Unknown less than $50,000 in
FY 2010, an income on $0 or Unknown to a cost of Unknown could
exceed $35,000 in FY 2011, and an income of $0 or Unknown to a
cost of Unknown could exceed $35,000 in FY 2012.  Estimated
Income on Other State Funds of $0 to $5,600 in FY 2010, $0 in FY
2011, and $0 in FY 2012.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that the bill is intended to respond
to the interest by the medical community to have mental health
representation on the MO HealthNet Oversight Committee.  The bill
changes the provision to have one of the two specialty physicians
be a mental health provider who serves MO HealthNet patients.

Testifying for the bill was Senator Champion.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

Missouri House of Representatives
95th General Assembly, 1st Regular Session
Last Updated November 17, 2009 at 9:26 am