HB 369 - Hlth ins; include bone marrow for breast cancer treatment
Georgia House of Representatives - 1995/1996 Sessions
HB 369 - Hlth ins; include bone marrow for breast cancer treatment
Page Numbers - 1/ 2/ 3/ 4
1. McBee 88th 2. Ashe 46th 3. Trense 44th
4. Brooks 103rd 5. Felton 43rd 6. Buckner 95th
House Comm: Ins / Senate Comm: I&L /
House Vote: Yeas 116 Nays 0 Senate Vote: Yeas 44 Nays 0
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House Action Senate
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1/25/95 Read 1st Time 2/27/95
1/26/95 Read 2nd Time 3/10/95
2/15/95 Favorably Reported 3/9/95
Sub Committee Amend/Sub
2/22/95 Read 3rd Time 3/13/95
2/22/95 Passed/Adopted 3/13/95
CSFA Comm/Floor Amend/Sub
3/23/95 Sent to Governor
4/11/95 Signed by Governor
302 Act/Veto Number
7/1/95 Effective Date
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Postponed by the House 2/21 Until 2/22/95
Code Sections amended: 33-29-3.3, 33-30-4.4
HB 369 HB 369/CSFA
H. B. No. 369 (COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE)(AM)
By: Representatives McBee of the 88th, Ashe of the 46th,
Trense of the 44th, Brooks of the 103rd, Felton of the 43rd
and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
1- 1 To amend Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
1- 2 relating to insurance, so as to provide that insurers
1- 3 issuing individual and group accident and sickness policies
1- 4 shall be required to make available coverage for bone marrow
1- 5 transplants for treatment of breast cancer and Hodgkin's
1- 6 disease; to provide for related matters; to repeal
1- 7 conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
1- 8 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
1- 9 Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
1-10 to insurance, is amended by inserting a new Code Section
1-11 33-29-3.3 to read as follows:
1-12 "33-29-3.3. (Index)
1-13 (a) Every insurer authorized to issue individual accident
1-14 and sickness insurance plans, policies, or contracts shall
1-15 be required to make available, either as a part of or as
1-16 an optional endorsement to all such policies providing
1-17 major medical insurance coverage which are issued,
1-18 delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on or after
1-19 July 1, 1995, coverage for bone marrow transplants for the
1-20 treatment of breast cancer and Hodgkin's disease. Such
1-21 coverage shall be at least as extensive and provide at
1-22 least the same degree of coverage as that provided by the
1-23 respective plan, policy, or contract for the treatment of
1-24 other types of physical illnesses. Such an optional
1-25 endorsement shall also provide that the coverage required
1-26 to be made available pursuant to this Code section shall
1-27 also cover the spouse and the dependents of the insured if
1-28 the insured's spouse and dependents are covered under such
1-29 benefit plan, policy, or contract.
1-30 (b) The optional endorsement required to be made available
1-31 under subsection (a) of this Code section shall not
1-32 contain any exclusions, reductions, or other limitations
1-33 as to coverages, deductibles, or coinsurance provisions
H. B. No. 369 (SUB)
-1- (Index)
HB 369/CSFA
2- 1 which apply to bone marrow transplants for the treatment
2- 2 of breast cancer and Hodgkin's disease unless such
2- 3 provisions apply generally to other similar benefits
2- 4 provided or paid for under the accident and sickness
2- 5 insurance benefit plan, policy, or contract.
2- 6 (c) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to
2- 7 prohibit an insurer, nonprofit corporation, health care
2- 8 plan, health maintenance organization, or other person
2- 9 issuing any similar individual accident and sickness
2-10 insurance benefit plan, policy, or contract from issuing
2-11 or continuing to issue an individual accident and sickness
2-12 insurance benefit plan, policy, or contract which provides
2-13 benefits greater than the minimum benefits required to be
2-14 made available under this Code section or from issuing any
2-15 such plans, policies, or contracts which provide benefits
2-16 which are generally more favorable to the insured than
2-17 those required to be made available under this Code
2-18 section.
2-19 (d) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to
2-20 prohibit the inclusion of coverage for bone marrow
2-21 transplants for the treatment of breast cancer and
2-22 Hodgkin's disease that differs from the coverage provided
2-23 in the same insurance plan, policy, or contract for
2-24 physical illnesses if the policyholder does not purchase
2-25 the optional coverage made available pursuant to this Code
2-26 section.
2-27 (e) The provisions of this Code section shall apply to
2-28 individual accident and sickness insurance policies issued
2-29 by a fraternal benefit society, a nonprofit hospital
2-30 service corporation, a nonprofit medical service
2-31 corporation, a health care plan, a health maintenance
2-32 organization, or any similar entity."
SECTION 2.
2-33 Said title is further amended by inserting a new Code
2-34 Section 33-30-4.4 to read as follows:
2-35 "33-30-4.4. (Index)
2-36 (a) Every insurer authorized to issue group accident and
2-37 sickness insurance benefit plans, policies, or contracts
2-38 shall be required to make available, either as a part of
2-39 or as an optional endorsement to all such policies
2-40 providing major medical insurance coverage which are
2-41 issued, delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on or
H. B. No. 369 (SUB)
-2- (Index)
HB 369/CSFA
3- 1 after July 1, 1995, coverage for bone marrow transplants
3- 2 for the treatment of breast cancer and Hodgkin's disease.
3- 3 Such coverage shall be at least as extensive and provide
3- 4 at least the same degree of coverage as that provided by
3- 5 the respective plan, policy, or contract for the treatment
3- 6 of other types of physical illnesses. Such an optional
3- 7 endorsement shall also provide that the coverage required
3- 8 to be made available pursuant to this Code section shall
3- 9 also cover the spouse and the dependents of the insured if
3-10 the insured's spouse and dependents are covered under such
3-11 benefit plan, policy, or contract.
3-12 (b) The optional endorsement required to be made available
3-13 under subsection (a) of this Code section shall not
3-14 contain any exclusions, reductions, or other limitations
3-15 as to coverages, deductibles, or coinsurance provisions
3-16 which apply to bone marrow transplants for the treatment
3-17 of breast cancer and Hodgkin's disease unless such
3-18 provisions apply generally to other similar benefits
3-19 provided or paid for under the accident and sickness
3-20 insurance benefit plan, policy, or contract.
3-21 (c) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to
3-22 prohibit an insurer, nonprofit corporation, health care
3-23 plan, health maintenance organization, or other person
3-24 issuing any similar group accident and sickness insurance
3-25 benefit plan, policy, or contract from issuing or
3-26 continuing to issue a group accident and sickness
3-27 insurance benefit plan, policy, or contract which provides
3-28 benefits greater than the minimum benefits required to be
3-29 made available under this Code section or from issuing any
3-30 such plans, policies, or contracts which provide benefits
3-31 which are generally more favorable to the insured than
3-32 those required to be made available under this Code
3-33 section.
3-34 (d) The requirements of this Code section shall be
3-35 satisfied if the coverage specified in subsections (a) and
3-36 (b) of this Code section is made available to the master
2 ble policyholder of the group plan, policy, or contract.
3-38 Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to require
3-39 the group insurer, nonprofit corporation, health care
3-40 plan, health maintenance organization, or master
3-41 policyholder to provide or to make available such coverage
3-42 to any insured under such group or blanket plan, policy,
3-43 or contract.
H. B. No. 369 (SUB)
-3- (Index)
HB 369/CSFA
4- 1 (e) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to
4- 2 prohibit the inclusion of coverage for bone marrow
4- 3 transplants for the treatment of breast cancer and
4- 4 Hodgkin's disease that differs from the coverage provided
4- 5 in the same insurance plan, policy, or contract for
4- 6 physical illnesses if the policyholder does not purchase
4- 7 the optional coverage made available pursuant to this Code
4- 8 section.
4- 9 (f) The provisions of this Code section shall also apply
4-10 to group accident and sickness insurance policies or
4-11 contracts issued by a fraternal benefit society, a
4-12 nonprofit hospital service corporation, a nonprofit
4-13 medical service corporation, a health care plan, a health
4-14 maintenance organization, or any other similar entity."
SECTION 3.
4-15 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are
4-16 repealed.
H. B. No. 369 (SUB)
-4- (Index)
Office of the Clerk of the House
Robert E. Rivers, Jr., Clerk of the House
Last Updated on 01/02/97