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HOUSE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE
ROOM 25, HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING, STATE CAPITOL COMPLEX
February 10, 2009
Rep. Ronda R. Menlove, Vice Chair
Rep. Trisha Beck
Rep. Brad Daw
Rep. Phil Riesen
Rep. Stephen E. Sandstrom
MEMBERS ABSENT: Rep. Evan Vickers
STAFF PRESENT: Mark Andrews, Policy Analyst
Sylvia Newton, House Secretary
Tom Vaughn, Associate General Counsel
Note: A list of visitors and copy of handouts are filed with committee minutes.
Rep. Ray called the meeting to order at 3:26 p.m.
MOTION: Rep. Beck moved to approve the minutes of the February 6, 2009 meeting. The motion passed unanimously.
S.B. 129 Mental Health Therapist Grant and Scholarship Act Repeal (Sen. D. Liljenquist)
Sen. Liljenquist explained the bill to the committee.
MOTION: Rep. Beck moved to pass the bill with a favorable recommendation. The motion passed unanimously.
MOTION: Rep. Daw moved to place the bill on the Consent Calendar. The motion passed unanimously.
H.J.R. 3 Joint Resolution Supporting Efforts to Increase and Improve Cancer Treatment, Screening, and Research Programs (Rep. S. Duckworth)
Rep. Duckworth explained the resolution, assisted by Michael Siler, American Cancer Society.
Spoke in favor of the bill: Debbie Turner, Department of Health
Mary Beckerle, Huntsman Cancer Institute
Janet Bingham, Huntsman Cancer Foundation
Paula Axelrod, American Cancer Society
MOTION: Rep. Riesen moved to pass the bill with a favorable recommendation. The motion passed unanimously.
MOTION: Rep. Menlove moved to place the bill on the Consent Calendar. The motion passed unanimously.
H.B. 254 Health Professional Authority - Death Certificates (Rep. B. Last)
Rep. Last explained the bill to the committee.
Spoke in favor of the bill: Julie Balk, Utah Nurse Practitioners
MOTION: Rep. Daw moved to pass the bill with a favorable recommendation. The motion passed unanimously with Rep. Beck absent for the vote.
H.B. 144 Medical Language Interpreter Act (Rep. R. Chavez-Houck)
Rep. Chavez-Houck explained H.B. 144 and provided a handout to committee members.
Spoke in favor of the bill: Debbie Turner, Department of Health
Alisha Hayden, Masters of Public Health student
Jennifer Villapando, University of Utah Hospital
Alan Pruhs, Association for Utah Community Health
Spoke to the bill: Tony Yapias, Projecto Latino
MOTION: Rep. Sandstrom moved to pass the bill with a favorable recommendation. The motion passed unanimously with Rep. Beck absent for the vote.
MOTION: Rep. Menlove moved to place H.B. 144 on the Consent Calendar. The motion passed unanimously with Rep. Beck absent for the vote.
H.B. 89 Prosthetic Limb Health Insurance Parity (Rep. D. Litvack)
Tom Vaughn, Associate General Counsel, explained the proposed amendment to the committee.
MOTION: Rep. Riesen moved to amend the bill as follows:
1. Page 1, Lines 10 through 11 :
10 This bill amends the Insurance Code to require
{
accident and health
insurers
}
a health benefit plan
to provide
11 coverage for prosthetic devices.
2. Page 1, Line 15 :
15 . requires
{
accident and health insurers
}
a health benefit plan
to
provide coverage for prosthetic devices; and
3. Page 2, Lines 36 through 38 :
36 (2) Beginning July 1, 2009,
{
an accident and health insurance policy that
provides
37 coverage for hospital, medical, or surgical expenses }
health benefit plan
shall
provide coverage for benefits for
38 prosthetics that:
4. Page 2, Lines 55 through 57 :
55 (3) The coverage required by this section:
56 (a) may
, except as otherwise provided in this section
be made subject to
{
,
and no more restrictive than, the provisions of an accident
57 and health insurance policy that apply to other benefits under the policy }
cost-sharing provisions, including dollar limits, deductibles, and
coinsurance, that are not less favorable to the insured than the cost-sharing
provisions of the health benefit plan that apply to physical illness generally
;
5. Page 3, Lines 60 through 76 :
60 fee-for-service program;
and
61 (c) shall reimburse for a prosthetic device at no less than the fee schedule amount for
62 the prosthetic device under the federal Medicare reimbursement schedule
{
;
63 (d) may not impose any annual or lifetime dollar maximum on coverage for prosthetic
64 devices other than an annual or lifetime dollar maximum that applies in the aggregate to all
65 terms and services covered under the policy; and
66 (e) does not apply to a policy that provides benefits solely for:
67 (i) accident only coverage;
68 (ii) a specific disease;
69 (iii) hospital indemnity;
70 (iv) Medicare supplement;
71 (v) long-term care;
72 (vi) disability income replacement;
73 (vii) dental;
74 (viii) vision; or
75 (ix) a limited health plan offered under Chapter 8, Health Maintenance Organizations
76 and Limited Health Plans } .
The motion to amend the bill passed unanimously with Rep. Beck absent for the vote.
Rep. Litvack explained the amended bill, assisted by Tami Stanley, Amputee Coalition of Utah, who provided a handout to committee members.
Spoke in favor of the bill: Joe Webster, M.D., University of Utah and Veterans Administration Medical Center
Spoke in opposition to the bill: Kelly Atkinson, Utah Health Insurance Association
MOTION: Rep. Riesen moved to amend the bill as follows:
Page 2, Line 38: Delete "prosthetics" and insert "prosthetic devices."
The motion to amend the bill passed unanimously with Rep. Beck absent for the vote.
MOTION: Rep. Daw moved to hold the bill in committee.
SUBSTITUTE
MOTION: Rep. Riesen moved to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously with Rep. Beck absent for the vote.
Rep. Ray adjourned the meeting at 5:11 p.m.
__________________
Rep. Paul Ray
Committee Chair