BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2133

By: Raymond

Insurance

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties note that although current law requiring health benefit plans that provide coverage for the treatment of diabetes and associated conditions to provide coverage for certain diabetes equipment and supplies requires that such a plan provide coverage for new or improved diabetes equipment or supplies determined by a physician or other health care practitioner to be medically necessary and appropriate, some health benefit plans do not provide coverage for continuous glucose monitors and artificial pancreas devices. The parties assert that these devices are now broadly accepted as standards of care for high-risk patients who cannot control their diabetes through multiple daily injections of insulin. H.B. 2133 seeks to remedy this inconsistency to help ensure that high-risk diabetic patients receive the treatment devices best suited to them.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 2133 amends the Insurance Code to include in the definition of "diabetes equipment," for the purposes of the requirement that a health benefit plan that provides coverage for treatment of diabetes and associated conditions provide coverage for diabetes equipment and supplies, supplies associated with insulin pumps, an insulin pump that works in conjunction with another medical device to provide automated or predictive insulin infusion suspend or control functionality as part of a system classified as an artificial pancreas device system by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and continuous glucose monitoring devices that continuously record glucose levels of individual users whether a freestanding device or integrated into an insulin pump.

H.B. 2133 includes in the definition of "diabetes supplies" for such purposes, supplies related to insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring devices, including insulin infusion sets, insulin reservoirs, glucose sensors, and glucose data transmitters.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2015.