1-1 By: Coleman (Senate Sponsor - Madla) H.B. No. 2424
1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 5, 1999;
1-3 May 6, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on Economic
1-4 Development; May 14, 1999, reported favorably by the following
1-5 vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 14, 1999, sent to printer.)
1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-7 AN ACT
1-8 relating to application of certain coverage requirements for
1-9 serious mental illness.
1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11 SECTION 1. Section 3(a)(19), Texas Employees Uniform Group
1-12 Insurance Benefits Act (Article 3.50-2, Vernon's Texas Insurance
1-13 Code), as added by Section 11.106, Chapter 242, Acts of the 72nd
1-14 Legislature, Regular Session, 1991, is redesignated as Section
1-15 3(a)(23), Texas Employees Uniform Group Insurance Benefits Act
1-16 (Article 3.50-2, Vernon's Texas Insurance Code), and amended to
1-17 read as follows:
1-18 (23) "Serious [(19) For the purposes of this section,
1-19 "serious] mental illness" has the meaning assigned by Section 1,
1-20 Article 3.51-14, Insurance Code [means the following psychiatric
1-21 illnesses as defined by the American Psychiatric Association in the
1-22 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) III-R:]
1-23 [(A) schizophrenia;]
1-24 [(B) paranoid and other psychotic disorders;]
1-25 [(C) bipolar disorders (mixed, manic, and
1-26 depressive);]
1-27 [(D) major depressive disorders (single episode
1-28 or recurrent); and]
1-29 [(E) schizo-affective disorders (bipolar or
1-30 depressive)].
1-31 SECTION 2. Section 3(a)(16), Texas State College and
1-32 University Employees Uniform Insurance Benefits Act (Article
1-33 3.50-3, Vernon's Texas Insurance Code), as added by Section 11.108,
1-34 Chapter 242, Acts of the 72nd Legislature, Regular Session, 1991,
1-35 is redesignated as Section 3(a)(19), Texas State College and
1-36 University Employees Uniform Insurance Benefits Act (Article
1-37 3.50-3, Vernon's Texas Insurance Code), and amended to read as
1-38 follows:
1-39 (19) "Serious [(16) For purposes of this section,
1-40 "serious] mental illness" has the meaning assigned by Section 1,
1-41 Article 3.51-14, Insurance Code [means the following psychiatric
1-42 illnesses as defined by the American Psychiatric Association in the
1-43 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) III-R:]
1-44 [(A) schizophrenia;]
1-45 [(B) paranoid and other psychotic disorders;]
1-46 [(C) bipolar disorders (mixed, manic, and
1-47 depressive);]
1-48 [(D) major depressive disorders (single episode
1-49 or recurrent); and]
1-50 [(E) schizo-affective disorders (bipolar or
1-51 depressive)].
1-52 SECTION 3. Article 3.51-5A(b), Insurance Code, is amended to
1-53 read as follows:
1-54 (b) For purposes of this article, "serious mental illness"
1-55 has the meaning assigned by Section 1, Article 3.51-14, of this
1-56 code [means the following psychiatric illnesses as defined by the
1-57 American Psychiatric Association in the Diagnostic and Statistical
1-58 Manual (DSM) III-R:]
1-59 [(1) schizophrenia;]
1-60 [(2) paranoid and other psychotic disorders;]
1-61 [(3) bipolar disorders (mixed, manic, and depressive);]
1-62 [(4) major depressive disorders (single episode or
1-63 recurrent); and]
1-64 [(5) schizo-affective disorders (bipolar or
2-1 depressive)].
2-2 SECTION 4. Section 2(b), Article 3.51-14, Insurance Code, is
2-3 amended to read as follows:
2-4 (b) This article does not apply to coverage under:
2-5 (1) a blanket accident and health insurance policy as
2-6 that term is defined under Section 2, Article 3.51-6, of this code;
2-7 (2) a short-term travel policy;
2-8 (3) an accident-only policy;
2-9 (4) a limited or specified-disease policy, other than
2-10 a plan that provides benefits for mental health care or similar
2-11 services; [or]
2-12 (5) a plan offered under the Texas Employees Uniform
2-13 Group Insurance Benefits Act (Article 3.50-2, Vernon's Texas
2-14 Insurance Code) or the Texas State College and University Employees
2-15 Uniform Insurance Benefits Act (Article 3.50-3, Vernon's Texas
2-16 Insurance Code) or in accordance with Article 3.51-5A of this code;
2-17 or
2-18 (6) a medicare supplement policy, as that term is
2-19 defined under Section 1(b)(3) [1(3)], Article 3.74, of this code.
2-20 SECTION 5. Section 3(a), Article 3.51-14, Insurance Code, is
2-21 amended to read as follows:
2-22 (a) Except as provided by Section 4 of this article, a group
2-23 health benefit plan:
2-24 (1) must provide coverage for the following treatment
2-25 of serious mental illness in each calendar year:
2-26 (A) 45 days of inpatient treatment; and
2-27 (B) 60 visits for outpatient treatment,
2-28 including group and individual outpatient treatment;
2-29 (2) may not include a lifetime limit on the number of
2-30 days of inpatient treatment or the number of outpatient visits
2-31 covered under the plan; and
2-32 (3) must include the same amount limits, deductibles,
2-33 copayments, and coinsurance factors for serious mental illness as
2-34 for physical illness.
2-35 SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999, and
2-36 applies only to a health benefit plan that is delivered, issued for
2-37 delivery, or renewed on or after January 1, 2000. A health benefit
2-38 plan that is delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed before
2-39 January 1, 2000, is governed by the law as it existed immediately
2-40 before the effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in
2-41 effect for this purpose.
2-42 SECTION 7. The importance of this legislation and the
2-43 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-44 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-45 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-46 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
2-47 * * * * *