Legislative Session number- 81

Bill Name: SF1613

Simplifying the regulation of health insurers and health maintenance
organizations; modifying health plan maternity care coverage requirements and
the limit on premium rates for individual health plans issued after exhaustion
of continuation coverage; eliminating certain copayment and deductible limits
under health maintenance contracts, authorizing a lifetime maximum benefit
limit; providing an assumption for certain accredited HMOs relating to meeting
certain requirements; modifying the requirement for health insurers and
fraternal benefit societies under the Minnesota comprehensive health association
(MCHA) to offer major medical coverage to new applicants; accelerating the
sunset of health care regional coordinating boards and the consumer advisory
board; simplifying certain commissioner of health research data collection
procedures; authorizing utilization review by certain providers other than
physicians; eliminating certain community integrated service network exemptions
from requirements applicable to HMOs; encouraging HMOs and CISNs to work with
local public health agencies to achieve public health goals; restricting the
application of certain allied independent health provider expanded network
requirements of health plan companies; authorizing health plan company product
variety; requiring the commissioners of health and commerce to jointly convene
an informal study group to study the effects of cost containment goals and
health plan premium regulation, specifying certain study requirements and
requiring a report to the legislature by a certain date; repealing the
requirement for the commissioner of administration to establish and administer a
nongovernmental pharmaceutical contracting alliance, certain requirements for
HMOs and medical care vendors to participate in the medical assistance (MA),
general assistance medical care (GAMC) and MinnesotaCare programs, certain
reporting requirements, certain health plan company action and local public
accountability and collaboration plan requirements, the requirement for health
plan companies to establish an informal complaint resolution process and the
expedited fact finding and dispute resolution processes established by the
commissioners of health and commerce(ra)