Bill Text: MO HB1580 | 2014 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires all health insurance carriers and health benefit plans to provide coverage for prescribed food supplements
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-11 - Public Hearing Completed (H) [HB1580 Detail]
Download: Missouri-2014-HB1580-Introduced.html
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE HIGDON.
5388H.01I D. ADAM CRUMBLISS, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
To amend chapter 376, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to prescribed food supplements.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 376, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be known as section 376.847, to read as follows:
376.847. 1. Each health carrier or health benefit plan that offers or issues health benefit plans which are delivered, issued for delivery, continued, or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2015, shall provide coverage for food supplements prescribed by a physician acting within the scope of his or her practice.
2. A health carrier or health benefit plan shall not:
(1) Deny eligibility or continued eligibility to an individual to enroll or renew coverage under the terms of the plan solely for the purpose of avoiding the requirements of this section;
(2) Provide monetary payments, rebates, or other benefits to individuals to encourage such individuals to accept less than the minimum protections available under this section;
(3) Penalize or otherwise reduce or limit the reimbursement of a provider because such provider prescribed food supplements to an individual participant or beneficiary in accordance with this section; or
(4) Provide monetary or other incentives to a provider to induce such provider to provide care to an individual participant or beneficiary in a manner inconsistent with this section.
3. For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall mean:
(1) “Food supplements”, products intended to supplement the diet that are labeled as food, nutritional, or dietary supplements, are not represented as conventional foods or as sole items of a meal or the diet, and contain one or more of the following dietary ingredients:
(a) A vitamin;
(b) A mineral;
(c) An herb or other botanical;
(d) An amino acid;
(e) A dietary substance to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake; or
(f) A concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract, or combination of any ingredient described in this subdivision;
(2) “Health benefit plan”, shall have the same meaning ascribed to it in section 376.1350;
(3) “Health carrier”, shall have the same meaning ascribed to it in section 376.1350.
4. The provisions of this section shall not apply to a supplemental insurance policy including a life care contract, accident-only policy, specified disease policy, hospital policy providing a fixed daily benefit only, Medicare supplement policy, long-term care policy, short-term major medical policies of six months or less duration, or any other supplemental policy.
5. The coverage required by this section shall not be subject to any greater deductible or co-payment than other coverage provided by the health benefit plan.
•
