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H0286......................................................by STATE AFFAIRS
STATE GROUP INSURANCE - Adds to existing law relating to mental health
parity in state group insurance to provide that state employees with
serious mental illnesses must not be discriminated against in group
disability insurance benefits or group health care service coverage; to
define "serious mental illness"; to provide requirements for coverage of
serious mental illnesses; and to provide for a report to the Legislature of
the additional costs incurred to provide the coverage.
03/02 House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
03/03 Rpt prt - to Health/Wel
03/09 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
03/10 2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
03/14 3rd rdg - FAILED - 31-39-0
AYES -- Bastian, Bilbao, Black, Block, Boe, Cannon, Deal, Field(18),
Garrett, Henbest, Jaquet, Jones, Kemp, LeFavour, Martinez, Miller,
Mitchell, Pasley-Stuart, Pence, Ring, Ringo, Rusche, Sayler,
Shepherd(2), Skippen, Smith(30), Smylie, Snodgrass, Trail, Wood, Mr.
Speaker
NAYS -- Anderson, Andrus, Barraclough, Barrett, Bayer, Bedke, Bell,
Bolz, Bradford, Chadderdon, Clark, Collins, Crow, Denney, Edmunson,
Ellsworth, Eskridge, Field(23), Hart(Jacobson), Harwood, Henderson,
Lake, Loertscher, Mathews, McGeachin, McKague, Moyle, Nielsen,
Nonini, Raybould, Roberts, Rydalch, Sali, Schaefer, Shepherd(8),
Shirley, Smith(24), Stevenson, Wills
Absent and excused -- None
Floor Sponsor - Henbest
Filed in Office of the Chief Clerk
]]]] LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ]]]]
Fifty-eighth Legislature First Regular Session - 2005
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE BILL NO. 286
BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
1 AN ACT
2 RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH PARITY IN STATE GROUP INSURANCE; STATING FINDINGS OF
3 THE LEGISLATURE; AMENDING CHAPTER 57, TITLE 67, IDAHO CODE, BY THE ADDI-
4 TION OF A NEW SECTION 67-5761A, IDAHO CODE, TO PROVIDE THAT STATE EMPLOY-
5 EES WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESSES MUST NOT BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST IN
6 GROUP DISABILITY INSURANCE BENEFITS OR GROUP HEALTH CARE SERVICE COVERAGE,
7 TO DEFINE "SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS" AND TO PROVIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR COVER-
8 AGE OF SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESSES; AND TO PROVIDE FOR A REPORT TO THE LEGIS-
9 LATURE OF THE ADDITIONAL COSTS INCURRED TO PROVIDE THE COVERAGE.
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
11 SECTION 1. FINDINGS OF THE LEGISLATURE. The Legislature of the State of
12 Idaho finds that:
13 (1) Unequal health insurance coverage contributes to the destructive and
14 unfair stigmatization of persons with serious mental illnesses that are beyond
15 the control of the individuals in the same manner as cancer, diabetes and
16 other serious physical health problems;
17 (2) Schizophrenia strikes nearly one percent (1%) of Idahoans over the
18 course of their lifetimes and approximately thirty percent (30%) of all hospi-
19 talized psychiatric patients in the United States suffer from this most
20 disabling group of mental disorders;
21 (3) Left untreated, serious mental illnesses are some of the most
22 disabling and destructive illnesses afflicting Idahoans;
23 (4) Studies have found that up to ninety percent (90%) of all persons who
24 commit suicide suffer from a treatable serious mental illness, such as schizo-
25 phrenia, depression or manic-depressive illness;
26 (5) Seventy percent (70%) to eighty percent (80%) of those suffering from
27 depression respond quickly to treatment and eighty percent (80%) of the vic-
28 tims of schizophrenia can be relieved of acute symptoms with proper medica-
29 tion; and
30 (6) Approximately ninety-five percent (95%) of what is known about both
31 normal and abnormal functions of the brain has been learned in the past ten
32 (10) years, but millions of seriously mentally ill people have yet to benefit
33 from these research advances.
34 SECTION 2. That Chapter 57, Title 67, Idaho Code, be, and the same is
35 hereby amended by the addition thereto of a NEW SECTION, to be known and des-
36 ignated as Section 67-5761A, Idaho Code, and to read as follows:
37 67-5761A. MENTAL HEALTH PARITY IN STATE GROUP INSURANCE. (1) It is the
38 policy of the state of Idaho that state employees with serious mental ill-
39 nesses must not be discriminated against in group health care service cover-
40 ages. Such coverages must provide for the treatment of serious mental ill-
41 nesses in a manner that is equitable and commensurate with that provided for
42 other major physical illnesses.
2
1 (2) For the purposes of this section, "serious mental illness" means any
2 of the following psychiatric illnesses as defined by the American psychiatric
3 association in the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders
4 (DSM-IV-TR):
5 (a) Schizophrenia;
6 (b) Paranoia and other psychotic disorders;
7 (c) Bipolar disorders (mixed, manic and depressive);
8 (d) Major depressive disorders (single episode or recurrent); and
9 (e) Schizo-affective disorders (bipolar or depressive).
10 (3) To be considered nondiscriminatory and equitable under this section,
11 group health care service coverage shall provide benefits and cover services
12 that are essential to the effective treatment of serious mental illnesses in a
13 manner that:
14 (a) Is not more restrictive than benefits and coverages provided for
15 other major illnesses;
16 (b) Provides adequate financial protection to the person requiring the
17 medical treatment for a serious mental illness; and
18 (c) Is consistent with effective and common methods of controlling health
19 care costs for other major illnesses.
20 SECTION 3. The Department of Administration shall submit a report to the
21 Legislature by January 31, 2009, indicating the additional costs incurred to
22 provide the coverage required by Section 67-5761A, Idaho Code, for the first
23 three (3) year period of coverage.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
RS 14974
This legislation proposes to create a pilot program to allow the
state to establish the real costs and benefits of including
mental health coverage in group health insurance coverage. This
legislation sets forth findings of the legislature concerning the
costs, both societal and economic, of leaving mental health
disorders untreated. It creates prohibitions against excluding
mental disorders from state health insurance and requires the
Department of Administration to produce and submit a report to
the legislature by January 31, 2009 detailing the actual costs of
these benefits and allowing the legislature to evaluate the
effectiveness of this legislation in stabilizing healthcare costs
and reducing repetitive visits for physical ailments that may be
associated with untreated mental illness.
FISCAL NOTE
Estimated fiscal impact to the health insurance plan for
implementing the mental health parity is approximately 1.8% of
total plan costs. Applying the 1.8% estimate would result in
additional plan cost of approximately $1,890,000.
Contact
Name: Representative Henbest
Phone: 332-1000
Representative LeFavour
Representative Martinez
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE H 286