CS/CS/HB 1219 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1219-02-c2 Page 1 of 13 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S A bill to be entitled 1 An act relating to dental insurance claims; amending 2 s. 627.6131, F.S.; prohibiting a contract between a 3 health insurer and a dentist from containing certain 4 restrictions on payment methods; requiring a health 5 insurer to notify a dentist if initiating or changing 6 electronic funds transfer payment methods for dental 7 claims; prohibiting a health insurer from charging a 8 fee to transmit a payment to a dentist throu gh an 9 automated clearinghouse transfer unless the dentist 10 has consented to such fee; authorizing a health 11 insurer to charge certain fees; providing 12 applicability; authorizing the Office of Insurance 13 Regulation of the Financial Services Commission to 14 enforce certain provisions; authorizing the commission 15 to adopt rules; prohibiting a health insurer from 16 denying claims for procedures included in a prior 17 authorization; providing exceptions; providing 18 applicability; authorizing the office to enforce 19 certain provisions; authorizing the commission to 20 adopt rules; amending s. 636.032, F.S.; prohibiting a 21 contract between a prepaid limited health service 22 organization and a dentist from containing certain 23 restrictions on payment methods; requiring a prepaid 24 limited health service organization to notify a 25 CS/CS/HB 1219 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1219-02-c2 Page 2 of 13 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S dentist if initiating or changing electronic funds 26 transfer payment methods for dental claims; 27 prohibiting a prepaid limited health service 28 organization from charging a fee to transmit a payment 29 to a dentist through a n automated clearinghouse 30 transfer unless the dentist has consented to such fee; 31 authorizing a prepaid limited health service 32 organization to charge certain fees; providing 33 applicability; authorizing the office to enforce 34 certain provisions; authorizing th e commission to 35 adopt rules; amending s. 636.035, F.S.; prohibiting a 36 prepaid limited health service organization from 37 denying claims for procedures included in a prior 38 authorization; providing exceptions; providing 39 applicability; amending s. 641.315, F.S. ; prohibiting 40 a contract between a health maintenance organization 41 and a dentist from containing certain restrictions on 42 payment methods; requiring a health maintenance 43 organization to notify a dentist if initiating or 44 changing electronic funds transfer pa yment methods for 45 dental claims; prohibiting a health maintenance 46 organization from charging a fee to transmit a payment 47 to a dentist through an automated clearinghouse 48 transfer unless the dentist has consented to such fee; 49 authorizing a health maintenance organization to 50 CS/CS/HB 1219 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1219-02-c2 Page 3 of 13 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S charge certain fees; providing applicability; 51 authorizing the office to enforce certain provisions; 52 authorizing the commission to adopt rules; prohibiting 53 a health maintenance organization from denying claims 54 for procedures included in a p rior authorization; 55 providing exceptions; providing applicability; 56 authorizing the office to enforce certain provisions; 57 authorizing the commission to adopt rules; providing 58 an effective date. 59 60 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida : 61 62 Section 1. Subsections (20) and (21) are added to section 63 627.6131, Florida Statutes, to read: 64 627.6131 Payment of claims. — 65 (20)(a) A contract between a health insurer and a dentist 66 licensed under chapter 466 for the provision of services to an 67 insured may not require credit card payment as the only 68 acceptable method for payments from the health insurer to the 69 dentist. 70 (b) If initiating or changing payments to a dentist using 71 electronic funds transfer payments, including, but not limited 72 to, virtual credit card payments, a health insurer shall notify 73 the dentist in writing of all of the following: 74 1. The fees, if any, associated with the electronic funds 75 CS/CS/HB 1219 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1219-02-c2 Page 4 of 13 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S transfer. 76 2. The available methods of payment of claims by the 77 health insurer, with clea r instructions to the dentist on how to 78 select an alternative payment method, if any. 79 (c) A health insurer that pays a claim to a dentist 80 through an automated clearinghouse transfer may not charge a fee 81 solely to transmit the payment to the dentist unles s the dentist 82 has consented to the fee. A health insurer may charge reasonable 83 fees for value-added services related to the transfer, 84 including, but not limited to, transaction management, data 85 management, and portal services. 86 (d) This subsection applies to contracts delivered, 87 issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2025. 88 (e) The office has all rights and powers to enforce this 89 subsection as provided by s. 624.307. 90 (f) The commission may adopt rules to implement this 91 subsection. 92 (21)(a) A health insurer may not deny any claim 93 subsequently submitted by a dentist licensed under chapter 466 94 for procedures specifically included in a prior authorization 95 unless at least one of the following circumstances applies for 96 each procedure denied: 97 1. Benefit limitations, such as annual maximums and 98 frequency limitations not applicable at the time of the prior 99 authorization, are reached subsequent to issuance of the prior 100 CS/CS/HB 1219 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1219-02-c2 Page 5 of 13 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S authorization. 101 2. The documentation provided by the person submitting the 102 claim fails to support the claim as originally authorized. 103 3. Subsequent to the issuance of the prior authorization, 104 new procedures are provided to the patient or a change in the 105 patient's condition occurs such that the prior authorized 106 procedure would no longer be considered medically necessary, 107 based on the prevailing standard of care. 108 4. Subsequent to the issuance of the prior authorization, 109 new procedures are provided to the patient or a change in the 110 patient's condition occurs such that the prior authorized 111 procedure would at that time have required disapproval pursuant 112 to the terms and conditions for coverage under the patient's 113 plan in effect at the time the prior authorization was issued. 114 5. The denial of the claim was due to o ne of the 115 following: 116 a. Another payor is responsible for payment. 117 b. The dentist has already been paid for the procedures 118 identified in the claim. 119 c. The claim was submitted fraudulently, or the prior 120 authorization was based in whole or material part on erroneous 121 information provided to the health insurer by the dentist, 122 patient, or other person not related to the insurer. 123 d. The person receiving the procedure was not eligible to 124 receive the procedure on the date of service. 125 CS/CS/HB 1219 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1219-02-c2 Page 6 of 13 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S e. The services were p rovided during the grace period 126 established under s. 627.608 or applicable federal regulations, 127 and the health insurer notified the dentist that the patient was 128 in the grace period when the dentist requested eligibility or 129 enrollment verification from the health insurer, if such request 130 was made. 131 (b) This subsection applies to contracts delivered, 132 issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2025. 133 (c) The office has all rights and powers to enforce this 134 subsection as provided by s. 624.307. 135 (d) The commission may adopt rules to implement this 136 subsection. 137 Section 2. Section 636.032, Florida Statutes, is amended 138 to read: 139 636.032 Acceptable payments. — 140 (1) Each prepaid limited health service organization may 141 accept from government agencies, corporatio ns, groups, or 142 individuals payments covering all or part of the cost of 143 contracts entered into between the prepaid limited health 144 service organization and its subscribers. 145 (2)(a) A contract between a prepaid limited health service 146 organization and a dent ist licensed under chapter 466 for the 147 provision of services to a subscriber may not require credit 148 card payment as the only acceptable method for payments from the 149 prepaid limited health service organization to the dentist. 150 CS/CS/HB 1219 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1219-02-c2 Page 7 of 13 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S (b) If initiating or changing payments to a dentist using 151 electronic funds transfer payments, including, but not limited 152 to, virtual credit card payments, a prepaid limited health 153 service organization shall notify the dentist in writing of all 154 of the following: 155 1. The fees, if any, associated with the electronic funds 156 transfer. 157 2. The available methods of payment of claims by the 158 prepaid limited health service organization, with clear 159 instructions to the dentist on how to select an alternative 160 payment method, if any. 161 (c) A prepaid limited health service organization that 162 pays a claim to a dentist through an automated clearinghouse 163 transfer may not charge a fee solely to transmit the payment to 164 the dentist unless the dentist has consented to the fee. A 165 prepaid limited health servic e organization may charge 166 reasonable fees for value -added services related to the 167 transfer, including, but not limited to, transaction management, 168 data management, and portal services. 169 (d) This subsection applies to contracts delivered, 170 issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2025. 171 (e) The office has all rights and powers to enforce this 172 subsection as provided by s. 624.307. 173 (f) The commission may adopt rules to implement this 174 subsection. 175 CS/CS/HB 1219 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1219-02-c2 Page 8 of 13 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S Section 3. Subsection (15) is added to section 636.035, 176 Florida Statutes, to read: 177 636.035 Provider arrangements. — 178 (15)(a) A prepaid limited health service organization may 179 not deny any claim subsequently submitted by a dentist licensed 180 under chapter 466 for procedures specifically included in a 181 prior authorization unless at least one of the following 182 circumstances applies for each procedure denied: 183 1. Benefit limitations, such as annual maximums and 184 frequency limitations not applicable at the time of the prior 185 authorization, are reached subsequent to issua nce of the prior 186 authorization. 187 2. The documentation provided by the person submitting the 188 claim fails to support the claim as originally authorized. 189 3. Subsequent to the issuance of the prior authorization, 190 new procedures are provided to the patient o r a change in the 191 patient's condition occurs such that the prior authorized 192 procedure would no longer be considered medically necessary, 193 based on the prevailing standard of care. 194 4. Subsequent to the issuance of the prior authorization, 195 new procedures are provided to the patient or a change in the 196 patient's condition occurs such that the prior authorized 197 procedure would at that time have required disapproval pursuant 198 to the terms and conditions for coverage under the patient's 199 plan in effect at the time t he prior authorization was issued. 200 CS/CS/HB 1219 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1219-02-c2 Page 9 of 13 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S 5. The denial of the dental service claim was due to one 201 of the following: 202 a. Another payor is responsible for payment. 203 b. The dentist has already been paid for the procedures 204 identified in the claim. 205 c. The claim was submitted fraudulently, or the prior 206 authorization was based in whole or material part on erroneous 207 information provided to the prepaid limited health service 208 organization by the dentist, patient, or other person not 209 related to the organi zation. 210 d. The person receiving the procedure was not eligible to 211 receive the procedure on the date of service. 212 e. The services were provided during the grace period 213 established under s. 636.016 or applicable federal regulations, 214 and the prepaid limited health service organization notified the 215 dentist that the patient was in the grace period when the 216 dentist requested eligibility or enrollment verification from 217 the prepaid limited health service organization, if such request 218 was made. 219 (b) This subsection applies to contracts delivered, 220 issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2025. 221 Section 4. Subsections (13) and (14) are added to section 222 641.315, Florida Statutes, to read: 223 641.315 Provider contracts. — 224 (13)(a) A contract between a health maintenance 225 CS/CS/HB 1219 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1219-02-c2 Page 10 of 13 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S organization and a dentist licensed under chapter 466 for the 226 provision of services to a subscriber of the health maintenance 227 organization may not require credit card payment as the only 228 acceptable method for payments from the health maintenance 229 organization to the dentist. 230 (b) If initiating or changing payments to a dentist using 231 electronic funds transfer payments, including, but not limited 232 to, virtual credit card payments, a health maintenance 233 organization shall notify the dentist in writing of all of the 234 following: 235 1. The fees, if any, associated with the electronic funds 236 transfer. 237 2. The available methods of payment of claims by the 238 health maintenance organization, with clear instructions to the 239 dentist on how to selec t an alternative payment method, if any. 240 (c) A health maintenance organization that pays a claim to 241 a dentist through an automated clearinghouse transfer may not 242 charge a fee solely to transmit the payment to the dentist 243 unless the dentist has consented to the fee. A health 244 maintenance organization may charge reasonable fees for value -245 added services related to the transfer, including, but not 246 limited to, transaction management, data management, and portal 247 services. 248 (d) This subsection applies to contrac ts delivered, 249 issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2025. 250 CS/CS/HB 1219 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1219-02-c2 Page 11 of 13 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S (e) The office has all rights and powers to enforce this 251 subsection as provided by s. 624.307. 252 (f) The commission may adopt rules to implement this 253 subsection. 254 (14)(a) A health maintenance organization may not deny any 255 claim subsequently submitted by a dentist licensed under chapter 256 466 for procedures specifically included in a prior 257 authorization unless at least one of the following circumstances 258 applies for each procedure denied: 259 1. Benefit limitations, such as annual maximums and 260 frequency limitations not applicable at the time of the prior 261 authorization, are reached subsequent to issuance of the prior 262 authorization. 263 2. The documentation provided by the person submitting the 264 claim fails to support the claim as originally authorized. 265 3. Subsequent to the issuance of the prior authorization, 266 new procedures are provided to the patient or a change in the 267 patient's condition occurs such that the prior authorized 268 procedure would no longer be considered medically necessary, 269 based on the prevailing standard of care. 270 4. Subsequent to the issuance of the prior authorization, 271 new procedures are provided to the patient or a change in the 272 patient's condition occurs such that the prior authorized 273 procedure would at that time have required disapproval pursuant 274 to the terms and conditions for coverage under the patient's 275 CS/CS/HB 1219 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1219-02-c2 Page 12 of 13 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S plan in effect at the time the prior authorization was issued. 276 5. The denial of the claim was due to one of the 277 following: 278 a. Another payor is responsible for payment. 279 b. The dentist has already been paid for the procedures 280 identified in the claim. 281 c. The claim was submitted fraudulently, or the prior 282 authorization was based in whole or material part on erroneous 283 information provided to the health maintenance organization by 284 the dentist, patient, or other person not related to the 285 organization. 286 d. The person receiving the procedure was not eligible to 287 receive the procedure on the date of service. 288 e. The services were provi ded during the grace period 289 established under s. 641.31 or applicable federal regulations, 290 and the health maintenance organization notified the dentist 291 that the patient was in the grace period when the dentist 292 requested eligibility or enrollment verificati on from the health 293 maintenance organization, if such request was made. 294 (b) This subsection applies to contracts delivered, 295 issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2025. 296 (c) The office has all rights and powers to enforce this 297 subsection as provided by s. 624.307. 298 (d) The commission may adopt rules to implement this 299 subsection. 300 CS/CS/HB 1219 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1219-02-c2 Page 13 of 13 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 301