Florida 2025 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H0377 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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10	10	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
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14	14	A bill to be entitled 1
15	15	An act relating to health insurance coverage for 2
16	16	individuals with developmental disabilities; amending 3
17	17	ss. 627.6686 and 641.31098, F.S.; revising the 4
18	18	definitions of the terms "autism spectrum disorder" 5
19	19	and "eligible individual" ; reenacting ss. 409.906(26) 6
20	20	and 943.1727, F.S., relating to optional Medicaid 7
21	21	services and continued employment training relating to 8
22	22	autism spectrum disorder, respectively, to incorporate 9
23	23	the amendment made to s. 627.6686, F.S., in references 10
24	24	thereto; providing an effective date. 11
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26	26	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 13
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28	28	Section 1. Paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (2) of 15
29	29	section 627.6686, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 16
30	30	627.6686 Coverage for individuals with autism spectrum 17
31	31	disorder required; exception. — 18
32	32	(2) As used in this section, the term: 19
33	33	(b) "Autism spectrum disorder" has the same meaning as 20
34	34	means any of the following disorders as defined in the most 21
35	35	recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of 22
36	36	Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association : 23
37	37	1. Autistic disorder. 24
38	38	2. Asperger's syndrome. 25
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47	47	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
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51	51	3. Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise 26
52	52	specified. 27
53	53	(c) "Eligible individual" means an individual under 18 28
54	54	years of age or an individual 18 years of age or older who is in 29
55	55	high school who has been diagnosed as having a developmental 30
56	56	disability at 8 years of age or younger . 31
57	57	Section 2. Paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsectio n (2) of 32
58	58	section 641.31098, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 33
59	59	641.31098 Coverage for individuals with developmental 34
60	60	disabilities.— 35
61	61	(2) As used in this section, the term: 36
62	62	(b) "Autism spectrum disorder" has the same meaning as 37
63	63	means any of the fol lowing disorders as defined in the most 38
64	64	recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of 39
65	65	Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association : 40
66	66	1. Autistic disorder. 41
67	67	2. Asperger's syndrome. 42
68	68	3. Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise 43
69	69	specified. 44
70	70	(c) "Eligible individual" means an individual under 18 45
71	71	years of age or an individual 18 years of age or older who is in 46
72	72	high school who has been diagnosed as having a developmental 47
73	73	disability at 8 years of age or younger . 48
74	74	Section 3. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 49
75	75	made by this act to section 627.6686, Florida Statutes, in a 50
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81	81	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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84	84	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
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88	88	reference thereto, subsection (26) of section 409.906, Florida 51
89	89	Statutes, is reenacted to read: 52
90	90	409.906 Optional Medicaid services. —Subject to specific 53
91	91	appropriations, the agency may make payments for services which 54
92	92	are optional to the state under Title XIX of the Social Security 55
93	93	Act and are furnished by Medicaid providers to recipients who 56
94	94	are determined to be eligible on the dates on which the services 57
95	95	were provided. Any optional service that is provided shall be 58
96	96	provided only when medically necessary and in accordance with 59
97	97	state and federal law. Optional services rendered by providers 60
98	98	in mobile units to Medicaid recipients may be restricted or 61
99	99	prohibited by the agency. Nothing in this section shall be 62
100	100	construed to prevent or limit the agency from adjusting fees, 63
101	101	reimbursement rates, lengths of stay, number of visits, or 64
102	102	number of services, or making any other adjustments necessary to 65
103	103	comply with the availability of moneys and any limitations or 66
104	104	directions provided for in the General Appropriations Act or 67
105	105	chapter 216. If necessary to safeguard the state's systems of 68
106	106	providing services to elderly and disabled persons and subject 69
107	107	to the notice and review provisions of s. 216.177, the Governor 70
108	108	may direct the Agency for Health Care Administration to amend 71
109	109	the Medicaid state plan to delete the optional Medicaid service 72
110	110	known as "Intermediate Care Facilities for the Developmentally 73
111	111	Disabled." Optional se rvices may include: 74
112	112	(26) HOME AND COMMUNITY -BASED SERVICES FOR AUTISM SPECTRUM 75
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125	125	DISORDER AND OTHER DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES. —The agency is 76
126	126	authorized to seek federal approval through a Medicaid waiver or 77
127	127	a state plan amendment for the provision of occup ational 78
128	128	therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, behavior analysis, 79
129	129	and behavior assistant services to individuals who are 5 years 80
130	130	of age and under and have a diagnosed developmental disability 81
131	131	as defined in s. 393.063, autism spectrum disorder as define d in 82
132	132	s. 627.6686, or Down syndrome, a genetic disorder caused by the 83
133	133	presence of extra chromosomal material on chromosome 21. Causes 84
134	134	of the syndrome may include Trisomy 21, Mosaicism, Robertsonian 85
135	135	Translocation, and other duplications of a portion of chrom osome 86
136	136	21. Coverage for such services shall be limited to $36,000 87
137	137	annually and may not exceed $108,000 in total lifetime benefits. 88
138	138	The agency shall submit an annual report on January 1 to the 89
139	139	President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of 90
140	140	Representatives, and the relevant committees of the Senate and 91
141	141	the House of Representatives regarding progress on obtaining 92
142	142	federal approval and recommendations for the implementation of 93
143	143	these home and community -based services. The agency may not 94
144	144	implement this subsec tion without prior legislative approval. 95
145	145	Section 4. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 96
146	146	made by this act to section 627.6686, Florida Statutes, in a 97
147	147	reference thereto, section 943.1727, Florida Statutes, is 98
148	148	reenacted to read: 99
149	149	943.1727 Continued employment training relating to autism 100
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158	158	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
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162	162	spectrum disorder.—The department shall establish a continued 101
163	163	employment training component relating to autism spectrum 102
164	164	disorder as defined in s. 627.6686. The training component shall 103
165	165	include, but need not be l imited to, instruction on the 104
166	166	recognition of the symptoms and characteristics of an individual 105
167	167	on the autism disorder spectrum and appropriate responses to an 106
168	168	individual exhibiting such symptoms and characteristics. 107
169	169	Completion of the training component may count toward the 40 108
170	170	hours of instruction for continued employment or appointment as 109
171	171	a law enforcement officer required under s. 943.135. 110
172	172	Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 111