Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island House Bill H5218 Compare Versions

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

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5	5	2025 -- H 5218
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7	7	LC000949
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9	9	S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO INSURANCE -- ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS INSURANCE POLICIES
16	16	Introduced By: Representatives McEntee, Donovan, Cortvriend, Azzinaro, Bennett,
17	17	Edwards, Shallcross Smith, Serpa, Handy, and Noret
18	18	Date Introduced: January 29, 2025
19	19	Referred To: House Health & Human Services
20	20
21	21
22	22	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
23	23	SECTION 1. Section 27-18-60 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-18 entitled "Accident 1
24	24	and Sickness Insurance Policies" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
25	25	27-18-60. Hearing aids. 3
26	26	(a)(1) Every individual or group health insurance contract, or every individual or group 4
27	27	hospital or medical expense insurance policy, plan, or group policy delivered, issued for delivery, 5
28	28	or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2006 January 1, 2026, shall provide coverage for one 6
29	29	thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) one thousand seven hundred fifty dollars ($1,750) per 7
30	30	individual hearing aid, per ear, every three (3) years for anyone under the age of nineteen (19) 8
31	31	years, and shall provide coverage for seven hundred dollars ($700) per individual hearing aid, per 9
32	32	ear, every three (3) years for anyone of the age of nineteen (19) years and older. 10
33	33	(2) Every group health insurance contract or group hospital or medical expense insurance 11
34	34	policy, plan, or group policy delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state on or after 12
35	35	January 1, 2006 January 1, 2026, shall provide, as an optional rider, additional hearing aid coverage. 13
36	36	Provided, the provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to contracts, plans, or group policies 14
37	37	subject to the small employer health insurance availability act, chapter 50 of this title. 15
38	38	(b) For the purposes of this section: 16
39	39	(1) “Hearing aid” means any nonexperimental, wearable instrument or device designed for 17
40	40	the ear and offered for the purpose of aiding or compensating for impaired human hearing, but 18
41	41	excluding batteries, cords, and other assistive listening devices, including, but not limited to FM 19
42	42
43	43
44	44	LC000949 - Page 2 of 5
45	45	systems. 1
46	46	(c) It shall remain within the sole discretion of the accident and sickness insurer as to the 2
47	47	provider of hearing aids with which they choose to contract. Reimbursement shall be provided 3
48	48	according to the respective principles and policies of the accident and sickness insurer. Nothing 4
49	49	contained in this section precludes the accident and sickness insurer from conducting managed 5
50	50	care, medical necessity, or utilization review. 6
51	51	(d) This section does not apply to insurance coverage providing benefits for: (1) hospital 7
52	52	confinement indemnity; (2) disability income; (3) accident only; (4) long term care; (5) Medicare 8
53	53	supplement; (6) limited benefit health; (7) specified diseased indemnity; (8) sickness of bodily 9
54	54	injury or death by accident or both; (9) and other limited benefit policies. 10
55	55	SECTION 2. Section 27-19-51 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-19 entitled "Nonprofit 11
56	56	Hospital Service Corporations" is hereby amended to read as follows: 12
57	57	27-19-51. Hearing aids. 13
58	58	(a)(1) Every individual or group health insurance contract, or every individual or group 14
59	59	hospital or medical expense insurance policy, plan, or group policy delivered, issued for delivery, 15
60	60	or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2006 January 1, 2026, shall provide coverage for one 16
61	61	thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) one thousand seven hundred fifty dollars ($1,750) per 17
62	62	individual hearing aid, per ear, every three (3) years for anyone under the age of nineteen (19) 18
63	63	years, and shall provide coverage for seven hundred dollars ($700) per individual hearing aid per 19
64	64	ear, every three (3) years for anyone of the age of nineteen (19) years and older. 20
65	65	(2) Every group health insurance contract or group hospital or medical expense insurance 21
66	66	policy, plan, or group policy delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state on or after 22
67	67	January 1, 2006 January 1, 2026, shall provide, as an optional rider, additional hearing aid coverage. 23
68	68	Provided, the provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to contracts, plans, or group policies 24
69	69	subject to the small employer health insurance availability act, chapter 50 of this title. 25
70	70	(b) For the purposes of this section, “hearing aid” means any nonexperimental, wearable 26
71	71	instrument or device designed for the ear and offered for the purpose of aiding or compensating for 27
72	72	impaired human hearing, but excluding batteries, cords, and other assistive listening devices, 28
73	73	including, but not limited to, FM systems. 29
74	74	(c) It shall remain within the sole discretion of the nonprofit hospital service corporation 30
75	75	as to the provider of hearing aids with which they choose to contract. Reimbursement shall be 31
76	76	provided according to the respective principles and policies of the nonprofit hospital service 32
77	77	corporation. Nothing contained in this section precludes the nonprofit hospital service corporation 33
78	78	from conducting managed care, medical necessity, or utilization review. 34
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80	80
81	81	LC000949 - Page 3 of 5
82	82	SECTION 3. Section 27-20-46 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-20 entitled "Nonprofit 1
83	83	Medical Service Corporations" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
84	84	27-20-46. Hearing aids. 3
85	85	(a)(1) Every individual or group health insurance contract, or every individual or group 4
86	86	hospital or medical expense insurance policy, plan, or group policy delivered, issued for delivery, 5
87	87	or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2006 January 1, 2026, shall provide coverage for one 6
88	88	thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) one thousand seven hundred fifty dollars ($1,750) per 7
89	89	individual hearing aid, per ear, every three (3) years for anyone under the age of nineteen (19) 8
90	90	years, and shall provide coverage for seven hundred dollars ($700) per individual hearing aid per 9
91	91	ear, every three (3) years for anyone of the age of nineteen (19) years and older. 10
92	92	(2) Every group health insurance contract or group hospital or medical expense insurance 11
93	93	policy, plan, or group policy delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state on or after 12
94	94	January 1, 2006 January 1, 2026, shall provide, as an optional rider, additional hearing aid coverage. 13
95	95	Provided, the provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to contracts, plans, or group policies 14
96	96	subject to the small employer health insurance availability act, chapter 50 of this title. 15
97	97	(b) For the purposes of this section, “hearing aid” means any nonexperimental, wearable 16
98	98	instrument or device designed for the ear and offered for the purpose of aiding or compensating for 17
99	99	impaired human hearing, but excluding batteries, cords, and other assistive listening devices, 18
100	100	including, but not limited to, FM systems. 19
101	101	(c) It shall remain within the sole discretion of the nonprofit medical service corporation 20
102	102	as to the provider of hearing aids with which they choose to contract. Reimbursement shall be 21
103	103	provided according to the respective principles and policies of the nonprofit medical service 22
104	104	corporation. Nothing contained in this section precludes the nonprofit medical service corporation 23
105	105	from conducting managed care, medical necessity, or utilization review. 24
106	106	SECTION 4. Section 27-41-63 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-41 entitled "Health 25
107	107	Maintenance Organizations" is hereby amended to read as follows: 26
108	108	27-41-63. Hearing aids. 27
109	109	(a)(1) Every individual or group health insurance contract, or every individual or group 28
110	110	hospital or medical expense insurance policy, plan, or group policy delivered, issued for delivery, 29
111	111	or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2006 January 1, 2026, shall provide coverage for one 30
112	112	thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) one thousand seven hundred fifty dollars ($1,750) per 31
113	113	individual hearing aid, per ear, every three (3) years for anyone under the age of nineteen (19) 32
114	114	years, and shall provide coverage for seven hundred dollars ($700) per individual hearing aid per 33
115	115	ear, every three (3) years for anyone of the age of nineteen (19) years and older. 34
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118	118	LC000949 - Page 4 of 5
119	119	(2) Every group health insurance contract or group hospital or medical expense insurance 1
120	120	policy, plan, or group policy delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state on or after 2
121	121	January 1, 2006 January 1, 2026, shall provide, as an optional rider, additional hearing aid coverage. 3
122	122	Provided, the provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to contracts, plans, or group policies 4
123	123	subject to the small employer health insurance availability act, chapter 50 of this title. 5
124	124	(b) For the purposes of this section, “hearing aid” means any nonexperimental, wearable 6
125	125	instrument or device designed for the ear and offered for the purpose of aiding or compensating for 7
126	126	impaired human hearing, but excluding batteries, cords, and other assistive listening devices, 8
127	127	including, but not limited to FM systems. 9
128	128	(c) It shall remain within the sole discretion of the health maintenance organizations as to 10
129	129	the provider of hearing aids with which they choose to contract. Reimbursement shall be provided 11
130	130	according to the respective principles and policies of the health maintenance organizations. Nothing 12
131	131	contained in this section precludes the health maintenance organizations from conducting managed 13
132	132	care, medical necessity, or utilization review. 14
133	133	SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon passage. 15
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135	135	LC000949
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139	139	LC000949 - Page 5 of 5
140	140	EXPLANATION
141	141	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
142	142	OF
143	143	A N A C T
144	144	RELATING TO INSURANCE -- ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS INSURANCE POLICIES
145	145	***
146	146	This act would increase insurance coverage for hearing aids from one thousand five 1
147	147	hundred dollars ($1,500) to one thousand seven hundred fifty dollars ($1,750), per ear, for all 2
148	148	people regardless of age effective January 1, 2026. 3
149	149	This act would take effect upon passage. 4
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151	151	LC000949
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