Brief (1)
SB 19, as amended, concerns health insurance and relates to obtaining gynecological care for a woman who is a member of an insured health plan, and to providing insurance coverage to individuals with a condition or medical history for which bone mass measurement is determined to be medically necessary for the individual's diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis.
The bill allows a woman to visit, one time each year, without referral from a primary care provider, her obstetrician or gynecologist who is within her health care network of providers. The care received from the provider must be medically necessary, but is not limited to care that is routine. Beyond that level of care, the obstetrician or gynecologist must confer with the woman's primary care physician before performing any procedure that is not routine to such an annual visit.
This provision of the bill is made a part of and supplemental to the Patient Protection Act.
SB 19, as amended, also requires, insurers as listed in the bill, including municipal group-funded pools and the State Employee Health Care Benefits Program, to include in coverage services related to the diagnosis, treatment, and management of osteoporosis subject to the same deductibles and coinsurance as apply to other covered services. The required coverage applies to all policies delivered, issued for delivery, amended, or renewed on or after July 1, 2001.
Background
SB 19 was requested by the Insurance Commissioner who commented that a woman wants to see a specialist in women's health throughout her lifetime, and explained that there is no good reason why she should be forced to see two doctors when she only needs to see one of them.
The Kansas Academy of Family Physicians, the Kansas Medical Society, National Council of Jewish Women-Greater Kansas City Section, the Kansas Choice Alliance, the National Organization for Women-Kansas Chapter, and Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri also support this provision in the bill. The Kansas Association of Health Plans oppose the provisions.
As amended by the House Committee, the provisions of HB 2446 requiring coverage for services related to the diagnosis, treatment, and management of osteoporosis were amended into SB 19.
1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/fulltext.cgi