HB 351-FN – AS INTRODUCED
2011 SESSION
01/04
HOUSE BILL 351-FN
AN ACT relative to insurance reimbursement for doctors of naturopathic medicine.
SPONSORS: Rep. Cebrowski, Hills 18; Rep. Case, Rock 1; Rep. Merrick, Coos 2; Rep. Kotowski, Merr 9
COMMITTEE: Commerce and Consumer Affairs
This bill requires health insurance reimbursement for doctors of naturopathic medicine if such services are also covered by licensed physicians.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
11-0169
01/04
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eleven
AN ACT relative to insurance reimbursement for doctors of naturopathic medicine.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Section; Coverage for Services Provided by Doctors of Naturopathic Medicine; Individual. Amend RSA 415 by inserting after section 6-p the following new section:
415:6-q Coverage for Services Provided by Doctors of Naturopathic Medicine; Individual. Each insurer that issues or renews any individual policy, plan, or contract of accident or health insurance providing benefits for medical or hospital expenses, shall provide to certificate holders of such insurance, who are residents of this state, coverage for expenses arising from services provided by doctors of naturopathic medicine licensed under RSA 328-E for medical conditions that are within their scope of practice if such services are also covered by doctors licensed under RSA 329. Services provided by licensed doctors of naturopathic medicine may be subject to reasonable deductibles, co-payments, and coinsurance amounts, fee or benefit limits, practice parameters, and utilization review consistent with rules adopted by the insurance department and pursuant to RSA 328-E; provided that the amounts, limits, and review shall not function to direct treatment in a manner which unfairly discriminates against naturopathic care, and collectively shall be no more restrictive than those applicable under the same policy to care or services provided by other primary care physicians, but may allow for the management of the benefit consistent with variations in practice patterns and treatment modalities among different types of health care providers.
2 New Section; Coverage for Services Provided by Doctors of Naturopathic Medicine; Group. Amend RSA 415 by inserting after section 18-u the following new section:
415:18-v Coverage for Services Provided by Doctors of Naturopathic Medicine; Group. Each insurer that issues or renews any policy of group or blanket accident or health insurance providing benefits for medical or hospital expenses, shall provide to each group, or to the portion of each group comprised of certificate holders of such insurance who are residents of this state, coverage for expenses arising from services provided by doctors of naturopathic medicine licensed under RSA 328-E for medical conditions that are within their scope of practice if such services are also covered by doctors licensed under RSA 329. Services provided by licensed doctors of naturopathic medicine may be subject to reasonable deductibles, co-payments, and coinsurance amounts, fee or benefit limits, practice parameters, and utilization review consistent with rules adopted by the insurance department and pursuant to RSA 328-E; provided that the amounts, limits, and review shall not function to direct treatment in a manner which unfairly discriminates against naturopathic care, and collectively shall be no more restrictive than those applicable under the same policy to care or services provided by other primary care physicians, but may allow for the management of the benefit consistent with variations in practice patterns and treatment modalities among different types of health care providers.
3 Health Service Corporations; Coverage Provided by Doctors of Naturopathic Medicine. Amend RSA 420-A:2 to read as follows:
420-A:2 Applicable Statutes. Every health service corporation shall be governed by this chapter and the relevant provisions of RSA 161-H, and shall be exempt from this title except for the provisions of RSA 400-A:39, RSA 401-B, RSA 402-C, RSA 404-F, RSA 415-A, RSA 415-F, RSA 415:6, II(4), RSA 415:6-g, RSA 415:6-k, RSA 415:18, V, RSA 415:18, VII(g), RSA 415:18, VII-a, RSA 415:18-a, RSA 415:18-j, RSA 415:18-o, RSA 415:18-u, RSA 415:18-v, RSA 415:22, RSA 417, RSA 417-E, RSA 420-J, and all applicable provisions of title XXXVII wherein such corporations are specifically included. Every health service corporation and its agents shall be subject to the fees prescribed for health service corporations under RSA 400-A:29, VII.
4 Health Maintenance Corporations; Coverage Provided by Doctors of Naturopathic Medicine. Amend RSA 420-B:20, III to read as follows:
III. The requirements of RSA 400-A:39, RSA 401-B, RSA 402-C, RSA 404-F, RSA 415:6-g, RSA 415:18, VII(g), RSA 415:18, VII-a, RSA 415:18-j, RSA 415:18-u, RSA 415:18-v, RSA 415-A, RSA 415-F, RSA 420-G, and RSA 420-J shall apply to health maintenance organizations.
5 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
LBAO
11-0169
Revised 02/07/11
HB 351 FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT relative to insurance reimbursement for doctors of naturopathic medicine.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Department of Insurance states this bill will increase state general fund revenue, and county and local expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2012 and each year thereafter. There will be no fiscal impact on state general fund expenditures, or county or local revenues.
METHODOLOGY:
The Department of Insurance states this bill mandates insurance coverage for naturopathic medicine. The Department assumes, with the bill effective 60 days after passage, any fiscal impact would begin in FY 2012 and that the additional coverage would increase the cost of health insurance by an indeterminable amount. The increase in cost may be mitigated to the extent that the coverage is already included in policies and also by decreases in the utilization of other services. The Department states the state tax on health insurance premiums would increase in relation to the increase in health insurance premiums. The Department assumes county and local expenditures for health insurance would increase, but state expenditures would not be impacted since the state retiree and employee health benefit programs are self-funded.
The Department of Administrative Services states this bill, as written, applies health insurance carriers and would not impact the state employee and retiree benefit programs which are self-funded.
The Board of Naturopathic Examiners states this bill will have no fiscal impact on the Board.