Bill Text: CA SB189 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Amended
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Health care coverage: wellness programs.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-06-18 - Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 62(a). [SB189 Detail]
Download: California-2013-SB189-Amended.html
Bill Title: Health care coverage: wellness programs.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-06-18 - Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 62(a). [SB189 Detail]
Download: California-2013-SB189-Amended.html
BILL NUMBER: SB 189 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 22, 2013
INTRODUCED BY Senator Monning
( Coauthor: Senator De León
)
( Coauthor: Assembly Member
Ammiano )
FEBRUARY 7, 2013
An act to add and repeal Section 1367.007 of the Health and Safety
Code, and to add and repeal Section 10112.7 of the Insurance Code,
relating to health care coverage.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 189, as amended, Monning. Health care coverage: wellness
programs.
Existing federal law, the federal Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), enacts various health
care coverage market reforms that take effect January 1, 2014. Among
other things, PPACA allows the premium rate charged by a health
insurance issuer offering small group or individual coverage to vary
only by family composition, rating area, age, and tobacco use, as
specified, and prohibits discrimination against individuals based on
health status, as specified. PPACA prohibits a health insurance
issuer from requiring any individual to pay a premium or contribution
that is greater than the premium or contribution paid by a similarly
situated individual on the basis of any health status-related factor
and prohibits construing this provision to prevent a group health
insurance issuer from establishing premium discounts or rebates or
modifying copayments or deductibles in return for adherence to
wellness programs, as specified.
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 a crime. Existing law also provides for the
regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance.
Existing law allows small employer health care service plan contracts
and health insurance policies for plan years on or after January 1,
2014, to vary rates only based on age, geographic ,
region, and family size, as specified.
This bill, until January 1, 2020, would prohibit a health care
service plan or health insurer from offering a wellness program in
connection with a group health care service plan contract or group
health insurance policy, or offering an incentive or reward under a
group health care service plan contract or group health insurance
policy, based on adherence to a wellness program, unless specified
requirements are satisfied. The bill would specify that it does not
apply to wellness programs established prior to its enactment
provided that those programs comply with all other applicable laws,
as specified.
Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements relative 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 1367.007 is added to the Health and Safety
Code, to read:
1367.007. (a) A health care service plan shall not offer a
wellness program in connection with a group health care service plan
contract, or offer an incentive or reward under a group health care
service plan contract based on adherence to a wellness program,
unless all of the following requirements are satisfied:
(1) The program is reasonably designed to promote health or
prevent disease. A program complies with the preceding sentence if
the program has a reasonable chance of improving the health of, or
preventing disease in, participating individuals, is not overly
burdensome, is not a subterfuge for discriminating
discrimination based on a health status factor, does not
lead to cost shifting, and is not highly suspect in the method chosen
to promote health or prevent disease.
(2)
(2) The incentive or reward is not in the form of a
discount on , or rebate of , a premium,
deductible, copayment, or coinsurance. Incentives may include rewards
for participation that are not linked to premiums, deductibles,
copayments, or coinsurance.
(3) Participation in the program is voluntary.
(4) Receipt of an incentive or reward for participation in the
program is not conditioned on an individual satisfying a standard
that is related to a health status factor. The following wellness
programs shall be deemed to satisfy this paragraph:
(A) A program that reimburses all or part of the cost for
memberships membership in a fitness center.
(B) A diagnostic testing program that provides a reward for
participation and does not base any part of the reward on outcomes.
(C) A program that provides a reward to individuals for attending
a periodic health education seminar, so long as participation is not
related to a particular health condition or any other health status
factor.
(5) Participation in the program is offered to all similarly
situated individuals.
(6) Reasonable accommodation is provided for individuals with
disabilities who seek to voluntarily participate in the program.
(7) A reasonably available and equivalent alternative is provided
to those individuals who seek to voluntarily participate in the
program but are unable to participate due to occupational
requirements, a medical condition, or other hardship.
(8) All materials related to the program disclose the availability
of the accommodations under paragraphs (6) and (7).
(9) The program assesses the cultural competency needs of the
health care service plan's population in its design.
(10) The program provides language assistance for limited
English-speaking individuals.
(11) The program does not result in any decrease in benefits
coverage.
(12) The program does not result in an increase in premium for the
product as demonstrated through rate review consistent with Article
6.2 (commencing with Section 1385.01).
(13) The incentive or reward does not exceed the amounts
determined to be unreasonable by regulation by the director in
consultation with the Insurance Commissioner
(14) The incentive or reward does not exceed the percentage of the
cost of coverage under the plan contract identified in Section 2705
(j)(3)(A) of the federal Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. Sec.
300gg-4) 300gg-4(j)(3)(A)) or
regulations adopted thereunder.
(b) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a wellness program that
was established prior to January 1, 2014, and applied consistent
with all applicable laws in effect immediately prior to that date,
and that is operating immediately prior to that date, from continuing
to be carried out for as long as those laws remain in effect.
(c) By March 1, 2019, the department shall submit a report to the
appropriate policy committees of the Legislature on the operation of
health care service plan-based wellness programs.
(d) For purposes of this section, "wellness program" means a
program that is designed to promote health or prevent disease.
(e) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1,
2020, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted
statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2020, deletes or extends
that date.
SEC. 2. Section 10112.7 is added to the Insurance Code, to read:
10112.7. (a) A health insurer shall not offer a wellness program
in connection with a group health insurance policy or offer an
incentive or reward under a group health insurance policy based on
adherence to a wellness program unless all of the following
requirements are satisfied:
(1) The program is reasonably designed to promote health or
prevent disease. A program complies with the preceding sentence if
the program has a reasonable chance of improving the health of, or
preventing disease in, participating individuals, is not overly
burdensome, is not a subterfuge for discriminating
discrimination based on a health status factor, does not
lead to cost shifting, and is not highly suspect in the method chosen
to promote health or prevent disease.
(2) The incentive or reward is not in the form of a discount on
, or rebate of , a premium, deductible,
copayment, or coinsurance. Incentives may include rewards for
participation that are not linked to premiums, deductibles,
copayments, or coinsurance.
(3) Participation in the program is voluntary.
(4) Receipt of an incentive or reward for participation in the
program is not conditioned on an individual satisfying a standard
that is related to a health status factor. The following wellness
programs shall be deemed to satisfy this paragraph:
(A) A program that reimburses all or part of the cost for
memberships membership in a fitness center.
(B) A diagnostic testing program that provides a reward for
participation and does not base any part of the reward on outcomes.
(C) A program that provides a reward to individuals for attending
a periodic health education seminar, so long as participation is not
related to a particular health condition or any other health status
factor.
(5) Participation in the program is offered to all similarly
situated individuals.
(6) Reasonable accommodation is provided for individuals with
disabilities who seek to voluntarily participate in the program.
(7) A reasonably available and equivalent alternative is provided
to those individuals who seek to voluntarily participate in the
program but are unable to participate due to occupational
requirements, a medical condition, or other hardship.
(8) All materials related to the program disclose the availability
of the accommodations under paragraphs (6) and (7).
(9) The program assesses the cultural competency needs of the
health care service plan's population in its design.
(10) The program provides language assistance for limited
English-speaking individuals.
(11) The program does not result in any decrease in benefits
coverage.
(12) The program does not result in an increase in premium for the
product as demonstrated through rate review consistent with Article
4.5 (commencing with Section 10181).
(13) The incentive or reward does not exceed the amounts
determined to be unreasonable by regulation by the commissioner in
consultation with the Director of the Department of Managed Health
Care.
(14) The incentive or reward does not exceed the percentage of the
cost of coverage under the policy identified in Section 2705(j)(3)
(A) of the federal Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 300gg-4
(j)(3)(A)) or regulations adopted thereunder.
(b) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a wellness program that
was established prior to January 1, 2014, and applied consistent
with all applicable laws in effect immediately prior to that date,
and that is operating immediately prior to that date, from continuing
to be carried out for as long as those laws remain in effect.
(c) By March 1, 2019, the department shall submit a report to the
appropriate policy committees of the Legislature on the operation of
health insurer-based wellness programs.
(d) For purposes of this section, "wellness program" means a
program that is designed to promote health or prevent disease.
(e) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1,
2020, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted
statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2020, deletes or extends
that date.
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.
