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H0615.................................................by HEALTH AND WELFARE
STATE EMPLOYEE INSURANCE - Adds to existing law relating to mental health
parity in state group insurance; to state legislative findings; to provide
that state employees and their families not be discriminated against in
mental health group disability insurance benefits or group health care
service coverage; to define terms; to provide coverage requirements; and to
provide for a report to the legislature.
02/09 House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/10 Rpt prt - to Health/Wel
02/23 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
02/24 2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
03/01 3rd rdg - PASSED - 44-24-2
AYES -- Anderson, Barraclough, Bastian, Bell, Bilbao, Black, Block,
Boe, Bolz, Cannon, Chadderdon, Collins, Deal, Denney, Edmunson,
Eskridge, Field(18), Garrett, Henbest, Henderson, Jaquet, Kemp,
LeFavour, Martinez, Miller, Mitchell, Pasley-Stuart, Pence, Ring,
Ringo, Rusche, Rydalch, Sayler, Schaefer, Shepherd(2), Shirley,
Skippen, Smith(30), Smith(24), Smylie, Snodgrass, Trail, Wills, Mr.
Speaker
NAYS -- Andrus, Barrett, Bayer, Bedke, Brackett, Bradford, Clark,
Crow, Ellsworth, Hart, Harwood, Lake, Loertscher, Mathews, McGeachin,
McKague, Moyle, Nielsen, Nonini, Raybould, Roberts, Sali(Sali),
Shepherd(8), Stevenson
Absent and excused -- Field(23), Wood
Floor Sponsors - Garrett & Henbest
Title apvd - to Senate
03/02 Senate intro - 1st rdg - to Health/Wel
03/07 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
03/08 2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
03/10 3rd rdg - PASSED - 26-9-0
AYES -- Andreason(Hatch), Brandt, Broadsword, Burkett, Burtenshaw,
Coiner, Compton, Corder, Darrington, Davis, Gannon, Geddes, Goedde,
Kelly, Keough, Langhorst, Little, Lodge, Malepeai, Marley, McGee,
McKenzie, Schroeder, Stegner, Stennett, Werk
NAYS -- Bunderson, Cameron, Fulcher, Hill, Jorgenson, Pearce,
Richardson, Sweet, Williams
Absent and excused -- None
Floor Sponsors - Stegner & Corder
Title apvd - to House
03/13 To enrol
03/14 Rpt enrol - Sp signed
03/15 Pres signed
03/16 To Governor
03/21 Governor signed
Session Law Chapter 97
Effective: 07/01/06
]]]] LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ]]]]
Fifty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2006
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE BILL NO. 615
BY HEALTH AND WELFARE COMMITTEE
1 AN ACT
2 RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH PARITY IN STATE GROUP INSURANCE; TO STATE LEGISLA-
3 TIVE FINDINGS; AMENDING CHAPTER 57, TITLE 67, IDAHO CODE, BY THE ADDITION
4 OF A NEW SECTION 67-5761A, IDAHO CODE, TO PROVIDE THAT STATE EMPLOYEES AND
5 THEIR FAMILIES NOT BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST IN MENTAL HEALTH GROUP DIS-
6 ABILITY INSURANCE BENEFITS OR GROUP HEALTH CARE SERVICE COVERAGE, TO
7 DEFINE TERMS AND TO PROVIDE COVERAGE REQUIREMENTS; AND TO PROVIDE FOR A
8 REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE.
9 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
10 SECTION 1. FINDINGS OF THE LEGISLATURE. The Legislature of the State of
11 Idaho finds that:
12 (1) Unequal health insurance coverage contributes to the destructive and
13 unfair stigmatization of persons with serious mental illnesses that are beyond
14 the control of the individuals in the same manner as cancer, diabetes and
15 other serious physical health problems;
16 (2) Schizophrenia strikes nearly one percent (1%) of Idahoans over the
17 course of their lifetimes and approximately thirty percent (30%) of all hospi-
18 talized psychiatric patients in the United States are diagnosed with this most
19 disabling group of mental disorders;
20 (3) Left untreated, serious mental illnesses are some of the most
21 disabling and potentially destructive illnesses affecting Idahoans;
22 (4) Studies have found that up to ninety percent (90%) of all persons who
23 commit suicide had a treatable serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia,
24 depression or manic-depressive illness;
25 (5) Seventy percent (70%) to eighty percent (80%) of those diagnosed with
26 depression respond quickly to treatment and eighty percent (80%) of those with
27 schizophrenia can be relieved of acute symptoms with proper medication;
28 (6) Approximately ninety-five percent (95%) of what is known about both
29 normal and abnormal functions of the brain has been learned in the past ten
30 (10) years, but millions of people with serious mental illness have yet to
31 benefit from these research advances;
32 (7) More than five percent (5%) of Idaho children are diagnosed with
33 serious emotional disturbance;
34 (8) The state of Idaho faces the rising human and financial costs of
35 leaving mental illness untreated; and
36 (9) The 2005 Interim Health Care Task Force's Mental Health Subcommittee
37 conducted extensive hearings on mental health and on insurance parity, and the
38 subcommittee endorsed a pilot project to establish a mental health insurance
39 program for state employees and their families to determine the cost of parity
40 in mental health insurance.
41 SECTION 2. That Chapter 57, Title 67, Idaho Code, be, and the same is
42 hereby amended by the addition thereto of a NEW SECTION, to be known and des-
43 ignated as Section 67-5761A, Idaho Code, and to read as follows:
2
1 67-5761A. MENTAL HEALTH PARITY IN STATE GROUP INSURANCE. (1) It is the
2 policy of the state of Idaho that state employees and their spouses with seri-
3 ous mental illnesses and state employees whose children have been diagnosed
4 with serious emotional disturbances must not be discriminated against in group
5 health care service coverages. Such coverages must provide for the treatment
6 of serious mental illnesses and serious emotional disturbances in a manner
7 that is equitable and commensurate with that provided for other major physical
8 illnesses.
9 (2) For the purposes of this section:
10 (a) "Serious mental illness" means any of the following psychiatric ill-
11 nesses as defined by the American psychiatric association in the diagnos-
12 tic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR):
13 (i) Schizophrenia;
14 (ii) Paranoia and other psychotic disorders;
15 (iii) Bipolar disorders (mixed, manic and depressive);
16 (iv) Major depressive disorders (single episode or recurrent);
17 (v) Schizoaffective disorders (bipolar or depressive);
18 (vi) Panic disorders; and
19 (vii) Obsessive-compulsive disorders.
20 (b) "Serious emotional disturbance" means "serious emotional disturbance"
21 as defined in section 16-2403, Idaho Code.
22 (3) To be considered nondiscriminatory and equitable under this section,
23 group health care service coverage shall provide benefits and cover services
24 that are essential to the effective treatment of serious mental illnesses and
25 serious emotional disturbances in a manner that:
26 (a) Is not more restrictive or more generous than benefits and coverages
27 provided for other major illnesses;
28 (b) Provides clinical care, but does not require partial care, of serious
29 mental illness or serious emotional disturbance; and
30 (c) Is consistent with effective and common methods of controlling health
31 care costs for other major illnesses.
32 SECTION 3. The Department of Administration shall submit a report to the
33 Legislature and to the Health Care Task Force thereof by January 31, 2010,
34 indicating any additional costs incurred to provide the coverage required by
35 Section 67-5761A, Idaho Code, for the first three (3) year period of coverage.
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STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
RS 15983
This legislation creates 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 health insurance for state employees and requires
the Department of Administration to gather data, produce and
submit a report to the legislature by January 31, 2010 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: Rep. Margaret Henbest, Sen. Tim Corder, Rep.Elmer Martinez,
Rep. Kathie Garrett, Rep. Nicole LeFavour, Sen. Joe Stegner
Phone: 251-8216
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE H 615