SENATE BILL 231
By Akbari
HOUSE BILL 296
By Love
HB0296
000023
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AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8;
Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71, relative to
speech therapy.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 56, Chapter 7, Part 23, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) As used in this section:
(1) "Habilitative services" means healthcare services that help an
individual keep, learn, or improve skills and functioning for daily living;
(2) "Habilitative speech therapy" means speech therapy that helps a
person keep, learn, or improve skills and functioning for daily living;
(3) "Health benefit plan":
(A) Means a hospital or medical expense policy; health, hospital,
or medical service corporation contract; policy or agreement entered into
by a health insurer; or health maintenance organization contract offered
by an employer;
(B) Includes a state insurance plan set out in title 8, chapter 27; a
policy or contract for health insurance coverage provided under the
TennCare medical assistance program or a successor program provided
for in title 71, chapter 5; and a policy or contract for health insurance
coverage provided under the CoverKids program or a successor program
provided for in title 71, chapter 3; and
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(C) Does not include policies or certificates covering only
accident, credit, dental, disability income, long-term care, hospital
indemnity, medicare supplement, as defined in § 1882(g)(1) of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 1395ss(g)(1)), specified disease, or vision care;
other limited benefit health insurance; coverage issued as a supplement
to liability insurance; workers' compensation insurance; automobile
medical payment insurance; or insurance that is statutorily required to be
contained in any liability insurance policy or equivalent self insurance;
(4) "Rehabilitative services" means healthcare services that help a
person restore or improve skills and functioning for daily living that have been
lost or impaired;
(5) "Rehabilitative speech therapy" means speech therapy that helps a
person restore or improve skills and functioning for daily living that have been
lost or impaired; and
(6) "Speech therapy" means the therapeutic care provided to an
individual for treatment administered by a licensed speech language pathologist.
(b) A health benefit plan that amends, renews, or delivers a policy of coverage
on or after July 1, 2025, and that provides coverage for:
(1) Habilitative services, must provide coverage for habilitative speech
therapy as a treatment for stuttering, regardless of whether the stuttering is
classified as developmental;
(2) Rehabilitative services, must provide coverage for rehabilitative
speech therapy as a treatment for stuttering; or
(3) Both habilitative services and rehabilitative services, must provide the
coverage required under subdivisions (b)(1) and (2).
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(c) The coverage required under subsection (b):
(1) Must not be subject to any maximum annual benefit limit, including
any limits on the number of visits an insured may make to a speech-language
pathologist;
(2) Must not be limited based on the type of disease, injury, disorder, or
other medical condition that resulted in the stuttering;
(3) Must not be subject to utilization review or utilization management
requirements, including prior authorization or a determination that the speech
therapy services are medically necessary; and
(4) Must include coverage for speech therapy provided in person and via
telehealth.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.