EXEMPT
(Reprinted with amendments adopted on April 21, 2025)
FIRST REPRINT A.B. 169
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ASSEMBLY BILL NO. 169–ASSEMBLYMEMBER YEAGER
PREFILED JANUARY 31, 2025
____________
Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
SUMMARY—Revises provisions relating to health insurance.
(BDR 57-735)
FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: May have Fiscal Impact.
Effect on the State: Yes.
CONTAINS UNFUNDED MANDATE (§ 14)
(NOT REQUESTED BY AFFECTED LOCAL GOVERNMENT)
~
EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.
AN ACT relating to insurance; establishing the applicability of
provisions requiring policies of health insurance to
include certain coverage; requiring that certain health
insurance policies and health plans include coverage for
certain forms of speech-language pathology as treatment
for stuttering for persons who are less than 26 years of
age; prohibiting certain limitations on such coverage; and
providing other matters properly relating thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing law requires public and private policies of health insurance and health 1
plans regulated under Nevada law to include certain coverage. (NRS 287.010, 2
287.04335, 422.27172-422.272428, 689A.04033-689A.0465, 689B.0303-3
689B.0379, 689C.1652-689C.169, 689C.194, 689C.1945, 689C.195, 689C.425, 4
695A.184-695A.1875, 695A.265, 695B.1901-695B.1948, 695C.050, 695C.1691-5
695C.176, 695G.162-695G.177) Existing law also requires employers to provide 6
certain benefits for health care to employees, including the coverage required of 7
health insurers, if the employer provides health benefits for its employees. (NRS 8
608.1555) Sections 2.3 and 4.3 of this bill provide that certain provisions requiring 9
a policy of individual or group health insurance to include certain coverage are 10
inapplicable to a policy that only provides coverage for a specified disease or 11
illness or that only provides a limited benefit. 12
Sections 2.7, 4.7-10, 12 and 14-16 of this bill require that certain public and 13
private policies of health insurance and health plans, including Medicaid, include 14
coverage for habilitative and rehabilitative speech-language pathology as a 15
treatment for stuttering for persons who are less than 26 years of age. Sections 1, 16
2.7, 4.7-10, 12 and 14-16 of this bill additionally prohibit an insurer from imposing 17
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a maximum annual limit on the coverage, limiting coverage based on the cause of 18
the stuttering or imposing medical management techniques on those benefits. 19
Section 13 of this bill makes a conforming change to require the Director of the 20
Department of Health and Human Services to administer the provisions of section 21
16 in the same manner as other provisions relating to Medicaid. Section 3 of this 22
bill authorizes the Commissioner of Insurance to require that certain policies of 23
health insurance issued by a domestic insurer to a person who resides in another 24
state include the coverage required by sections 2.3 and 2.7. Section 11 of this bill 25
authorizes the Commissioner to suspend or revoke the certificate of a health 26
maintenance organization that fails to comply with the requirements of section 9. 27
The Commissioner would also be authorized to take such action against other 28
health insurers who fail to comply with the requirements of sections 2.7, 4.7-8 or 29
12. (NRS 680A.200) 30
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN
SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. NRS 687B.225 is hereby amended to read as 1
follows: 2
687B.225 1. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 3
689A.0405, 689A.0412, 689A.0413, 689A.0418, 689A.0437, 4
689A.044, 689A.0445, 689A.0459, 689B.031, 689B.0312, 5
689B.0313, 689B.0315, 689B.0317, 689B.0319, 689B.0374, 6
689B.0378, 689C.1665, 689C.1671, 689C.1675, 689C.1676, 7
695A.1843, 695A.1856, 695A.1865, 695A.1874, 695B.1912, 8
695B.1913, 695B.1914, 695B.1919, 695B.19197, 695B.1924, 9
695B.1925, 695B.1942, 695C.1696, 695C.1699, 695C.1713, 10
695C.1735, 695C.1737, 695C.1743, 695C.1745, 695C.1751, 11
695G.170, 695G.1705, 695G.171, 695G.1714, 695G.1715, 12
695G.1719 [and] 695G.177, and sections 2.7, 4.7, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 12 13
of this act, any contract for group, blanket or individual health 14
insurance or any contract by a nonprofit hospital, medical or dental 15
service corporation or organization for dental care which provides 16
for payment of a certain part of medical or dental care may require 17
the insured or member to obtain prior authorization for that care 18
from the insurer or organization. The insurer or organization shall: 19
(a) File its procedure for obtaining approval of care pursuant to 20
this section for approval by the Commissioner; and 21
(b) Unless a shorter time period is prescribed by a specific 22
statute, including, without limitation, NRS 689A.0446, 689B.0361, 23
689C.1688, 695A.1859, 695B.19087, 695C.16932 and 695G.1703, 24
respond to any request for approval by the insured or member 25
pursuant to this section within 20 days after it receives the request. 26
2. The procedure for prior authorization may not discriminate 27
among persons licensed to provide the covered care. 28
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Sec. 2. Chapter 689A of NRS is hereby amended by adding 1
thereto the provisions set forth as sections 2.3 and 2.7 of this act. 2
Sec. 2.3. 1. The provisions of NRS 689A.04033 to 3
689A.0465, inclusive, and section 2.7 of this act must not be 4
construed to require a policy that provides coverage only for a 5
specified disease or illness or other limited benefit to provide the 6
coverage set forth in those sections. 7
2. The Division shall not interpret the term “policy of health 8
insurance,” for the purposes of NRS 689A.04033 to 689A.0465, 9
inclusive, and section 2.7 of this act, in a manner contrary to the 10
provisions of subsection 1. 11
Sec. 2.7. 1. An insurer that offers or issues a policy of 12
health insurance shall include in the policy coverage for 13
habilitative speech-language pathology and rehabilitative speech-14
language pathology as a treatment for stuttering for insureds who 15
are less than 26 years of age. 16
2. An insurer shall not: 17
(a) Set a maximum annual limit on the benefits described in 18
subsection 1, including, without limitation, a limit on the number 19
of annual visits to a speech-language pathologist; 20
(b) Limit the benefits described in subsection 1 based on the 21
cause of the stuttering; or 22
(c) Subject the benefits described in subsection 1 to medical 23
management techniques. 24
3. A policy of health insurance subject to the provisions of 25
this chapter that is delivered, issued for delivery or renewed on or 26
after January 1, 2026, has the legal effect of including the 27
coverage required by subsection 1, and any provision of the policy 28
that conflicts with the provisions of this section is void. 29
4. As used in this section: 30
(a) “Habilitative speech-language pathology” means services 31
that constitute the practice of speech-language pathology which 32
help a person keep, learn or improve skills and functioning for 33
daily living. 34
(b) “Medical management technique” means a practice which 35
is used to control the cost or use of health care services or 36
prescription drugs. The term includes, without limitation, the use 37
of step therapy, prior authorization and categorizing drugs and 38
devices based on cost, type or method of administration. 39
(c) “Practice of speech-language pathology” has the meaning 40
ascribed to it in NRS 637B.060. 41
(d) “Rehabilitative speech-language pathology” means 42
services that constitute the practice of speech-language pathology 43
which help a person restore or improve skills and functioning for 44
daily living that have been lost or impaired. 45
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Sec. 3. NRS 689A.330 is hereby amended to read as follows: 1
689A.330 If any policy is issued by a domestic insurer for 2
delivery to a person residing in another state, and if the insurance 3
commissioner or corresponding public officer of that other state has 4
informed the Commissioner that the policy is not subject to approval 5
or disapproval by that officer, the Commissioner may by ruling 6
require that the policy meet the standards set forth in NRS 689A.030 7
to 689A.320, inclusive [.] , and sections 2.3 and 2.7 of this act. 8
Sec. 4. Chapter 689B of NRS is hereby amended by adding 9
thereto the provisions set forth as sections 4.3 and 4.7 of this act. 10
Sec. 4.3. 1. The provisions of NRS 689B.0303 to 11
689B.0379, inclusive, and section 4.7 of this act must not be 12
construed to require a policy that provides coverage only for a 13
specified disease or illness or other limited benefit to provide the 14
coverage set forth in those sections. 15
2. The Division shall not interpret the term “policy of group 16
health insurance,” for the purposes of NRS 689B.0303 to 17
689B.0379, inclusive, and section 4.7 of this act, in a manner 18
contrary to the provisions of subsection 1. 19
Sec. 4.7. 1. An insurer that offers or issues a policy of 20
group health insurance shall include in the policy coverage for 21
habilitative speech-language pathology and rehabilitative speech-22
language pathology as a treatment for stuttering for insureds who 23
are less than 26 years of age. 24
2. An insurer shall not: 25
(a) Set a maximum annual limit on the benefits described in 26
subsection 1, including, without limitation, a limit on the number 27
of annual visits to a speech-language pathologist; 28
(b) Limit the benefits described in subsection 1 based on the 29
cause of the stuttering; or 30
(c) Subject the benefits described in subsection 1 to medical 31
management techniques. 32
3. A policy of group health insurance subject to the 33
provisions of this chapter that is delivered, issued for delivery or 34
renewed on or after January 1, 2026, has the legal effect of 35
including the coverage required by subsection 1, and any 36
provision of the policy that conflicts with the provisions of this 37
section is void. 38
4. As used in this section: 39
(a) “Habilitative speech-language pathology” means services 40
that constitute the practice of speech-language pathology which 41
help a person keep, learn or improve skills and functioning for 42
daily living. 43
(b) “Medical management technique” means a practice which 44
is used to control the cost or use of health care services or 45
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prescription drugs. The term includes, without limitation, the use 1
of step therapy, prior authorization and categorizing drugs and 2
devices based on cost, type or method of administration. 3
(c) “Practice of speech-language pathology” has the meaning 4
ascribed to it in NRS 637B.060. 5
(d) “Rehabilitative speech-language pathology” means 6
services that constitute the practice of speech-language pathology 7
which help a person restore or improve skills and functioning for 8
daily living that have been lost or impaired. 9
Sec. 5. Chapter 689C of NRS is hereby amended by adding 10
thereto a new section to read as follows: 11
1. A carrier that offers or issues a health benefit plan shall 12
include in the plan coverage for habilitative speech-language 13
pathology and rehabilitative speech-language pathology as a 14
treatment for stuttering for insureds who are less than 26 years of 15
age. 16
2. A carrier shall not: 17
(a) Set a maximum annual limit on the benefits described in 18
subsection 1, including, without limitation, a limit on the number 19
of annual visits to a speech-language pathologist; 20
(b) Limit the benefits described in subsection 1 based on the 21
cause of the stuttering; or 22
(c) Subject the benefits described in subsection 1 to medical 23
management techniques. 24
3. A health benefit plan subject to the provisions of this 25
chapter that is delivered, issued for delivery or renewed on or after 26
January 1, 2026, has the legal effect of including the coverage 27
required by subsection 1, and any provision of the plan that 28
conflicts with the provisions of this section is void. 29
4. As used in this section: 30
(a) “Habilitative speech-language pathology” means services 31
that constitute the practice of speech-language pathology which 32
help a person keep, learn or improve skills and functioning for 33
daily living. 34
(b) “Medical management technique” means a practice which 35
is used to control the cost or use of health care services or 36
prescription drugs. The term includes, without limitation, the use 37
of step therapy, prior authorization and categorizing drugs and 38
devices based on cost, type or method of administration. 39
(c) “Practice of speech-language pathology” has the meaning 40
ascribed to it in NRS 637B.060. 41
(d) “Rehabilitative speech-language pathology” means 42
services that constitute the practice of speech-language pathology 43
which help a person restore or improve skills and functioning for 44
daily living that have been lost or impaired. 45
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Sec. 6. NRS 689C.425 is hereby amended to read as follows: 1
689C.425 A voluntary purchasing group and any contract 2
issued to such a group pursuant to NRS 689C.360 to 689C.600, 3
inclusive, are subject to the provisions of NRS 689C.015 to 4
689C.355, inclusive, and section 5 of this act to the extent 5
applicable and not in conflict with the express provisions of NRS 6
687B.408 and 689C.360 to 689C.600, inclusive. 7
Sec. 7. Chapter 695A of NRS is hereby amended by adding 8
thereto a new section to read as follows: 9
1. A society that offers or issues a benefit contract shall 10
include in the contract coverage for habilitative speech-language 11
pathology and rehabilitative speech-language pathology as a 12
treatment for stuttering for insureds who are less than 26 years of 13
age. 14
2. A society shall not: 15
(a) Set a maximum annual limit on the benefits described in 16
subsection 1, including, without limitation, a limit on the number 17
of annual visits to a speech-language pathologist; 18
(b) Limit the benefits described in subsection 1 based on the 19
cause of the stuttering; or 20
(c) Subject the benefits described in subsection 1 to medical 21
management techniques. 22
3. A benefit contract subject to the provisions of this chapter 23
that is delivered, issued for delivery or renewed on or after 24
January 1, 2026, has the legal effect of including the coverage 25
required by subsection 1, and any provision of the contract that 26
conflicts with the provisions of this section is void. 27
4. As used in this section: 28
(a) “Habilitative speech-language pathology” means services 29
that constitute the practice of speech-language pathology which 30
help a person keep, learn or improve skills and functioning for 31
daily living. 32
(b) “Medical management technique” means a practice which 33
is used to control the cost or use of health care services or 34
prescription drugs. The term includes, without limitation, the use 35
of step therapy, prior authorization and categorizing drugs and 36
devices based on cost, type or method of administration. 37
(c) “Practice of speech-language pathology” has the meaning 38
ascribed to it in NRS 637B.060. 39
(d) “Rehabilitative speech-language pathology” means 40
services that constitute the practice of speech-language pathology 41
which help a person restore or improve skills and functioning for 42
daily living that have been lost or impaired. 43
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Sec. 8. Chapter 695B of NRS is hereby amended by adding 1
thereto a new section to read as follows: 2
1. A hospital or medical services corporation that offers or 3
issues a policy of health insurance shall include in the policy 4
coverage for habilitative speech-language pathology and 5
rehabilitative speech-language pathology as a treatment for 6
stuttering for insureds who are less than 26 years of age. 7
2. A hospital or medical services corporation shall not: 8
(a) Set a maximum annual limit on the benefits described in 9
subsection 1, including, without limitation, a limit on the number 10
of annual visits to a speech-language pathologist; 11
(b) Limit the benefits described in subsection 1 based on the 12
cause of the stuttering; or 13
(c) Subject the benefits described in subsection 1 to medical 14
management techniques. 15
3. A policy of health insurance subject to the provisions of 16
this chapter that is delivered, issued for delivery or renewed on or 17
after January 1, 2026, has the legal effect of including the 18
coverage required by subsection 1, and any provision of the policy 19
that conflicts with the provisions of this section is void. 20
4. As used in this section: 21
(a) “Habilitative speech-language pathology” means services 22
that constitute the practice of speech-language pathology which 23
help a person keep, learn or improve skills and functioning for 24
daily living. 25
(b) “Medical management technique” means a practice which 26
is used to control the cost or use of health care services or 27
prescription drugs. The term includes, without limitation, the use 28
of step therapy, prior authorization and categorizing drugs and 29
devices based on cost, type or method of administration. 30
(c) “Practice of speech-language pathology” has the meaning 31
ascribed to it in NRS 637B.060. 32
(d) “Rehabilitative speech-language pathology” means 33
services that constitute the practice of speech-language pathology 34
which help a person restore or improve skills and functioning for 35
daily living that have been lost or impaired. 36
Sec. 9. Chapter 695C of NRS is hereby amended by adding 37
thereto a new section to read as follows: 38
1. A health maintenance organization that offers or issues a 39
health care plan shall include in the plan coverage for habilitative 40
speech-language pathology and rehabilitative speech-language 41
pathology as a treatment for stuttering for enrollees who are less 42
than 26 years of age. 43
2. A health maintenance organization shall not: 44
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(a) Set a maximum annual limit on the benefits described in 1
subsection 1, including, without limitation, a limit on the number 2
of annual visits to a speech-language pathologist; 3
(b) Limit the benefits described in subsection 1 based on the 4
cause of the stuttering; or 5
(c) Subject the benefits described in subsection 1 to medical 6
management techniques. 7
3. A health care plan subject to the provisions of this chapter 8
that is delivered, issued for delivery or renewed on or after 9
January 1, 2026, has the legal effect of including the coverage 10
required by subsection 1, and any provision of the plan that 11
conflicts with the provisions of this section is void. 12
4. As used in this section: 13
(a) “Habilitative speech-language pathology” means services 14
that constitute the practice of speech-language pathology which 15
help a person keep, learn or improve skills and functioning for 16
daily living. 17
(b) “Medical management technique” means a practice which 18
is used to control the cost or use of health care services or 19
prescription drugs. The term includes, without limitation, the use 20
of step therapy, prior authorization and categorizing drugs and 21
devices based on cost, type or method of administration. 22
(c) “Practice of speech-language pathology” has the meaning 23
ascribed to it in NRS 637B.060. 24
(d) “Rehabilitative speech-language pathology” means 25
services that constitute the practice of speech-language pathology 26
which help a person restore or improve skills and functioning for 27
daily living that have been lost or impaired. 28
Sec. 10. NRS 695C.050 is hereby amended to read as follows: 29
695C.050 1. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter or 30
in specific provisions of this title, the provisions of this title are not 31
applicable to any health maintenance organization granted a 32
certificate of authority under this chapter. This provision does not 33
apply to an insurer licensed and regulated pursuant to this title 34
except with respect to its activities as a health maintenance 35
organization authorized and regulated pursuant to this chapter. 36
2. Solicitation of enrollees by a health maintenance 37
organization granted a certificate of authority, or its representatives, 38
must not be construed to violate any provision of law relating to 39
solicitation or advertising by practitioners of a healing art. 40
3. Any health maintenance organization authorized under this 41
chapter shall not be deemed to be practicing medicine and is exempt 42
from the provisions of chapter 630 of NRS. 43
4. The provisions of NRS 695C.110, 695C.125, 695C.1691, 44
695C.1693, 695C.170, 695C.1703, 695C.1705, 695C.1709 to 45
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695C.173, inclusive, 695C.1733, 695C.17335, 695C.1734, 1
695C.1751, 695C.1755, 695C.1759, 695C.176 to 695C.200, 2
inclusive, and 695C.265 do not apply to a health maintenance 3
organization that provides health care services through managed 4
care to recipients of Medicaid under the State Plan for Medicaid or 5
insurance pursuant to the Children’s Health Insurance Program 6
pursuant to a contract with the Division of Health Care Financing 7
and Policy of the Department of Health and Human Services. This 8
subsection does not exempt a health maintenance organization from 9
any provision of this chapter for services provided pursuant to any 10
other contract. 11
5. The provisions of NRS 695C.16932 to 695C.1699, 12
inclusive, 695C.1701, 695C.1708, 695C.1728, 695C.1731, 13
695C.17333, 695C.17345, 695C.17347, 695C.1736 to 695C.1745, 14
inclusive, 695C.1757 and 695C.204 and section 9 of this act apply 15
to a health maintenance organization that provides health care 16
services through managed care to recipients of Medicaid under the 17
State Plan for Medicaid. 18
6. The provisions of NRS 695C.17095 do not apply to a health 19
maintenance organization that provides health care services to 20
members of the Public Employees’ Benefits Program. This 21
subsection does not exempt a health maintenance organization from 22
any provision of this chapter for services provided pursuant to any 23
other contract. 24
7. The provisions of NRS 695C.1735 do not apply to a health 25
maintenance organization that provides health care services to: 26
(a) The officers and employees, and the dependents of officers 27
and employees, of the governing body of any county, school district, 28
municipal corporation, political subdivision, public corporation or 29
other local governmental agency of this State; or 30
(b) Members of the Public Employees’ Benefits Program. 31
This subsection does not exempt a health maintenance 32
organization from any provision of this chapter for services 33
provided pursuant to any other contract. 34
Sec. 11. NRS 695C.330 is hereby amended to read as follows: 35
695C.330 1. The Commissioner may suspend or revoke any 36
certificate of authority issued to a health maintenance organization 37
pursuant to the provisions of this chapter if the Commissioner finds 38
that any of the following conditions exist: 39
(a) The health maintenance organization is operating 40
significantly in contravention of its basic organizational document, 41
its health care plan or in a manner contrary to that described in and 42
reasonably inferred from any other information submitted pursuant 43
to NRS 695C.060, 695C.070 and 695C.140, unless any amendments 44
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to those submissions have been filed with and approved by the 1
Commissioner; 2
(b) The health maintenance organization issues evidence of 3
coverage or uses a schedule of charges for health care services 4
which do not comply with the requirements of NRS 695C.1691 to 5
695C.200, inclusive, and section 9 of this act, 695C.204 or 6
695C.207; 7
(c) The health care plan does not furnish comprehensive health 8
care services as provided for in NRS 695C.060; 9
(d) The Commissioner certifies that the health maintenance 10
organization: 11
(1) Does not meet the requirements of subsection 1 of NRS 12
695C.080; or 13
(2) Is unable to fulfill its obligations to furnish health care 14
services as required under its health care plan; 15
(e) The health maintenance organization is no longer financially 16
responsible and may reasonably be expected to be unable to meet its 17
obligations to enrollees or prospective enrollees; 18
(f) The health maintenance organization has failed to put into 19
effect a mechanism affording the enrollees an opportunity to 20
participate in matters relating to the content of programs pursuant to 21
NRS 695C.110; 22
(g) The health maintenance organization has failed to put into 23
effect the system required by NRS 695C.260 for: 24
(1) Resolving complaints in a manner reasonably to dispose 25
of valid complaints; and 26
(2) Conducting external reviews of adverse determinations 27
that comply with the provisions of NRS 695G.241 to 695G.310, 28
inclusive; 29
(h) The health maintenance organization or any person on its 30
behalf has advertised or merchandised its services in an untrue, 31
misrepresentative, misleading, deceptive or unfair manner; 32
(i) The continued operation of the health maintenance 33
organization would be hazardous to its enrollees or creditors or to 34
the general public; 35
(j) The health maintenance organization fails to provide the 36
coverage required by NRS 695C.1691; or 37
(k) The health maintenance organization has otherwise failed to 38
comply substantially with the provisions of this chapter. 39
2. A certificate of authority must be suspended or revoked only 40
after compliance with the requirements of NRS 695C.340. 41
3. If the certificate of authority of a health maintenance 42
organization is suspended, the health maintenance organization shall 43
not, during the period of that suspension, enroll any additional 44
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groups or new individual contracts, unless those groups or persons 1
were contracted for before the date of suspension. 2
4. If the certificate of authority of a health maintenance 3
organization is revoked, the organization shall proceed, immediately 4
following the effective date of the order of revocation, to wind up its 5
affairs and shall conduct no further business except as may be 6
essential to the orderly conclusion of the affairs of the organization. 7
It shall engage in no further advertising or solicitation of any kind. 8
The Commissioner may, by written order, permit such further 9
operation of the organization as the Commissioner may find to be in 10
the best interest of enrollees to the end that enrollees are afforded 11
the greatest practical opportunity to obtain continuing coverage for 12
health care. 13
Sec. 12. Chapter 695G of NRS is hereby amended by adding 14
thereto a new section to read as follows: 15
1. A managed care organization that offers or issues a health 16
care plan shall include in the plan coverage for habilitative 17
speech-language pathology and rehabilitative speech-language 18
pathology as a treatment for stuttering for insureds who are less 19
than 26 years of age. 20
2. A managed care organization shall not: 21
(a) Set a maximum annual limit on the benefits described in 22
subsection 1, including, without limitation, a limit on the number 23
of annual visits to a speech-language pathologist; 24
(b) Limit the benefits described in subsection 1 based on the 25
cause of the stuttering; or 26
(c) Subject the benefits described in subsection 1 to medical 27
management techniques. 28
3. A health care plan subject to the provisions of this chapter 29
that is delivered, issued for delivery or renewed on or after 30
January 1, 2026, has the legal effect of including the coverage 31
required by subsection 1, and any provision of the plan that 32
conflicts with the provisions of this section is void. 33
4. As used in this section: 34
(a) “Habilitative speech-language pathology” means services 35
that constitute the practice of speech-language pathology which 36
help a person keep, learn or improve skills and functioning for 37
daily living. 38
(b) “Medical management technique” means a practice which 39
is used to control the cost or use of health care services or 40
prescription drugs. The term includes, without limitation, the use 41
of step therapy, prior authorization and categorizing drugs and 42
devices based on cost, type or method of administration. 43
(c) “Practice of speech-language pathology” has the meaning 44
ascribed to it in NRS 637B.060. 45
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(d) “Rehabilitative speech-language pathology” means 1
services that constitute the practice of speech language pathology 2
which help a person restore or improve skills and functioning for 3
daily living that have been lost or impaired. 4
Sec. 13. NRS 232.320 is hereby amended to read as follows: 5
232.320 1. The Director: 6
(a) Shall appoint, with the consent of the Governor, 7
administrators of the divisions of the Department, who are 8
respectively designated as follows: 9
(1) The Administrator of the Aging and Disability Services 10
Division; 11
(2) The Administrator of the Division of Welfare and 12
Supportive Services; 13
(3) The Administrator of the Division of Child and Family 14
Services; 15
(4) The Administrator of the Division of Health Care 16
Financing and Policy; and 17
(5) The Administrator of the Division of Public and 18
Behavioral Health. 19
(b) Shall administer, through the divisions of the Department, 20
the provisions of chapters 63, 424, 425, 427A, 432A to 442, 21
inclusive, 446 to 450, inclusive, 458A and 656A of NRS, NRS 22
127.220 to 127.310, inclusive, 422.001 to 422.410, inclusive, and 23
section 16 of this act, 422.580, 432.010 to 432.133, inclusive, 24
432B.6201 to 432B.626, inclusive, 444.002 to 444.430, inclusive, 25
and 445A.010 to 445A.055, inclusive, and all other provisions of 26
law relating to the functions of the divisions of the Department, but 27
is not responsible for the clinical activities of the Division of Public 28
and Behavioral Health or the professional line activities of the other 29
divisions. 30
(c) Shall administer any state program for persons with 31
developmental disabilities established pursuant to the 32
Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 33
2000, 42 U.S.C. §§ 15001 et seq. 34
(d) Shall, after considering advice from agencies of local 35
governments and nonprofit organizations which provide social 36
services, adopt a master plan for the provision of human services in 37
this State. The Director shall revise the plan biennially and deliver a 38
copy of the plan to the Governor and the Legislature at the 39
beginning of each regular session. The plan must: 40
(1) Identify and assess the plans and programs of the 41
Department for the provision of human services, and any 42
duplication of those services by federal, state and local agencies; 43
(2) Set forth priorities for the provision of those services; 44
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(3) Provide for communication and the coordination of those 1
services among nonprofit organizations, agencies of local 2
government, the State and the Federal Government; 3
(4) Identify the sources of funding for services provided by 4
the Department and the allocation of that funding; 5
(5) Set forth sufficient information to assist the Department 6
in providing those services and in the planning and budgeting for the 7
future provision of those services; and 8
(6) Contain any other information necessary for the 9
Department to communicate effectively with the Federal 10
Government concerning demographic trends, formulas for the 11
distribution of federal money and any need for the modification of 12
programs administered by the Department. 13
(e) May, by regulation, require nonprofit organizations and state 14
and local governmental agencies to provide information regarding 15
the programs of those organizations and agencies, excluding 16
detailed information relating to their budgets and payrolls, which the 17
Director deems necessary for the performance of the duties imposed 18
upon him or her pursuant to this section. 19
(f) Has such other powers and duties as are provided by law. 20
2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Director, or 21
the Director’s designee, is responsible for appointing and removing 22
subordinate officers and employees of the Department. 23
Sec. 14. NRS 287.010 is hereby amended to read as follows: 24
287.010 1. The governing body of any county, school 25
district, municipal corporation, political subdivision, public 26
corporation or other local governmental agency of the State of 27
Nevada may: 28
(a) Adopt and carry into effect a system of group life, accident 29
or health insurance, or any combination thereof, for the benefit of its 30
officers and employees, and the dependents of officers and 31
employees who elect to accept the insurance and who, where 32
necessary, have authorized the governing body to make deductions 33
from their compensation for the payment of premiums on the 34
insurance. 35
(b) Purchase group policies of life, accident or health insurance, 36
or any combination thereof, for the benefit of such officers and 37
employees, and the dependents of such officers and employees, as 38
have authorized the purchase, from insurance companies authorized 39
to transact the business of such insurance in the State of Nevada, 40
and, where necessary, deduct from the compensation of officers and 41
employees the premiums upon insurance and pay the deductions 42
upon the premiums. 43
(c) Provide group life, accident or health coverage through a 44
self-insurance reserve fund and, where necessary, deduct 45
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contributions to the maintenance of the fund from the compensation 1
of officers and employees and pay the deductions into the fund. The 2
money accumulated for this purpose through deductions from the 3
compensation of officers and employees and contributions of 4
the governing body must be maintained as an internal service fund 5
as defined by NRS 354.543. The money must be deposited in a state 6
or national bank or credit union authorized to transact business in 7
the State of Nevada. Any independent administrator of a fund 8
created under this section is subject to the licensing requirements of 9
chapter 683A of NRS, and must be a resident of this State. Any 10
contract with an independent administrator must be approved by the 11
Commissioner of Insurance as to the reasonableness of 12
administrative charges in relation to contributions collected and 13
benefits provided. The provisions of NRS 439.581 to 439.597, 14
inclusive, 686A.135, 687B.352, 687B.408, 687B.692, 687B.723, 15
687B.725, 687B.805, 689B.030 to 689B.0317, inclusive, paragraphs 16
(b) and (c) of subsection 1 of NRS 689B.0319, subsections 2, 4, 6 17
and 7 of NRS 689B.0319, 689B.033 to 689B.0369, inclusive, and 18
section 4.7 of this act, 689B.0375 to 689B.050, inclusive, 19
689B.0675, 689B.265, 689B.287 and 689B.500 apply to coverage 20
provided pursuant to this paragraph, except that the provisions of 21
NRS 689B.0378, 689B.03785 and 689B.500 only apply to coverage 22
for active officers and employees of the governing body, or the 23
dependents of such officers and employees. 24
(d) Defray part or all of the cost of maintenance of a self-25
insurance fund or of the premiums upon insurance. The money for 26
contributions must be budgeted for in accordance with the laws 27
governing the county, school district, municipal corporation, 28
political subdivision, public corporation or other local governmental 29
agency of the State of Nevada. 30
2. If a school district offers group insurance to its officers and 31
employees pursuant to this section, members of the board of trustees 32
of the school district must not be excluded from participating in 33
the group insurance. If the amount of the deductions from 34
compensation required to pay for the group insurance exceeds the 35
compensation to which a trustee is entitled, the difference must be 36
paid by the trustee. 37
3. In any county in which a legal services organization exists, 38
the governing body of the county, or of any school district, 39
municipal corporation, political subdivision, public corporation or 40
other local governmental agency of the State of Nevada in the 41
county, may enter into a contract with the legal services 42
organization pursuant to which the officers and employees of the 43
legal services organization, and the dependents of those officers and 44
employees, are eligible for any life, accident or health insurance 45
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provided pursuant to this section to the officers and employees, and 1
the dependents of the officers and employees, of the county, school 2
district, municipal corporation, political subdivision, public 3
corporation or other local governmental agency. 4
4. If a contract is entered into pursuant to subsection 3, the 5
officers and employees of the legal services organization: 6
(a) Shall be deemed, solely for the purposes of this section, to be 7
officers and employees of the county, school district, municipal 8
corporation, political subdivision, public corporation or other local 9
governmental agency with which the legal services organization has 10
contracted; and 11
(b) Must be required by the contract to pay the premiums or 12
contributions for all insurance which they elect to accept or of which 13
they authorize the purchase. 14
5. A contract that is entered into pursuant to subsection 3: 15
(a) Must be submitted to the Commissioner of Insurance for 16
approval not less than 30 days before the date on which the contract 17
is to become effective. 18
(b) Does not become effective unless approved by the 19
Commissioner. 20
(c) Shall be deemed to be approved if not disapproved by the 21
Commissioner within 30 days after its submission. 22
6. As used in this section, “legal services organization” means 23
an organization that operates a program for legal aid and receives 24
money pursuant to NRS 19.031. 25
Sec. 15. NRS 287.04335 is hereby amended to read as 26
follows: 27
287.04335 If the Board provides health insurance through a 28
plan of self-insurance, it shall comply with the provisions of NRS 29
439.581 to 439.597, inclusive, 686A.135, 687B.352, 687B.409, 30
687B.692, 687B.723, 687B.725, 687B.805, 689B.0353, 689B.255, 31
695C.1723, 695G.150, 695G.155, 695G.160, 695G.162, 32
695G.1635, 695G.164, 695G.1645, 695G.1665, 695G.167, 33
695G.1675, 695G.170 to 695G.1712, inclusive, 695G.1714 to 34
695G.174, inclusive, and section 12 of this act, 695G.176, 35
695G.177, 695G.200 to 695G.230, inclusive, 695G.241 to 36
695G.310, inclusive, 695G.405 and 695G.415, in the same manner 37
as an insurer that is licensed pursuant to title 57 of NRS is required 38
to comply with those provisions. 39
Sec. 16. Chapter 422 of NRS is hereby amended by adding 40
thereto a new section to read as follows: 41
1. To the extent federal financial participation is available, 42
the Director shall include under Medicaid coverage for 43
habilitative speech-language pathology and rehabilitative speech-44
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language pathology as a treatment for stuttering for persons who 1
are less than 26 years of age. 2
2. Except where necessary to obtain federal financial 3
participation, the Department shall not: 4
(a) Set a maximum annual limit on the benefits described in 5
subsection 1, including, without limitation, a limit on the number 6
of annual visits to a speech-language pathologist; 7
(b) Limit the benefits described in subsection 1 based on the 8
cause of the stuttering; or 9
(c) Subject the benefits described in subsection 1 to medical 10
management techniques. 11
3. The Department shall: 12
(a) Apply to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for 13
any waiver of federal law or apply for any amendment of the 14
State Plan for Medicaid that is necessary for the Department to 15
receive federal funding to provide the coverage described in 16
subsection 1. 17
(b) Fully cooperate in good faith with the Federal Government 18
during the application process to satisfy the requirements of the 19
Federal Government for obtaining a waiver or amendment 20
pursuant to paragraph (a). 21
4. As used in this section: 22
(a) “Habilitative speech-language pathology” means services 23
that constitute the practice of speech-language pathology which 24
help a person keep, learn or improve skills and functioning for 25
daily living. 26
(b) “Medical management technique” means a practice which 27
is used to control the cost or use of health care services or 28
prescription drugs. The term includes, without limitation, the use 29
of step therapy, prior authorization and categorizing drugs and 30
devices based on cost, type or method of administration. 31
(c) “Practice of speech-language pathology” has the meaning 32
ascribed to it in NRS 637B.060. 33
(d) “Rehabilitative speech-language pathology” means 34
services that constitute the practice of speech-language pathology 35
which help a person restore or improve skills and functioning for 36
daily living that have been lost or impaired. 37
Sec. 17. The provisions of NRS 354.599 do not apply to any 38
additional expenses of a local government that are related to the 39
provisions of this act. 40
Sec. 18. 1. This section becomes effective upon passage and 41
approval. 42
2. Sections 1 to 17, inclusive, of this act become effective: 43
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(a) Upon passage and approval for the purpose of adopting any 1
regulations and performing any other preparatory administrative 2
tasks that are necessary to carry out the provisions of this act; and 3
(b) On January 1, 2026, for all other purposes. 4
H