Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee House Bill HB0296 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
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2	2	SENATE BILL 231
3	3	By Akbari
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5	5	HOUSE BILL 296
6	6	By Love
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8	8
9	9	HB0296
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13	13	AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8;
14	14	Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71, relative to
15	15	speech therapy.
16	16
17	17	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
18	18	SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 56, Chapter 7, Part 23, is amended by
19	19	adding the following as a new section:
20	20	(a) As used in this section:
21	21	(1) "Habilitative services" means healthcare services that help an
22	22	individual keep, learn, or improve skills and functioning for daily living;
23	23	(2) "Habilitative speech therapy" means speech therapy that helps a
24	24	person keep, learn, or improve skills and functioning for daily living;
25	25	(3) "Health benefit plan":
26	26	(A) Means a hospital or medical expense policy; health, hospital,
27	27	or medical service corporation contract; policy or agreement entered into
28	28	by a health insurer; or health maintenance organization contract offered
29	29	by an employer;
30	30	(B) Includes a state insurance plan set out in title 8, chapter 27; a
31	31	policy or contract for health insurance coverage provided under the
32	32	TennCare medical assistance program or a successor program provided
33	33	for in title 71, chapter 5; and a policy or contract for health insurance
34	34	coverage provided under the CoverKids program or a successor program
35	35	provided for in title 71, chapter 3; and
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40	40	(C) Does not include policies or certificates covering only
41	41	accident, credit, dental, disability income, long-term care, hospital
42	42	indemnity, medicare supplement, as defined in § 1882(g)(1) of the Social
43	43	Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 1395ss(g)(1)), specified disease, or vision care;
44	44	other limited benefit health insurance; coverage issued as a supplement
45	45	to liability insurance; workers' compensation insurance; automobile
46	46	medical payment insurance; or insurance that is statutorily required to be
47	47	contained in any liability insurance policy or equivalent self insurance;
48	48	(4) "Rehabilitative services" means healthcare services that help a
49	49	person restore or improve skills and functioning for daily living that have been
50	50	lost or impaired;
51	51	(5) "Rehabilitative speech therapy" means speech therapy that helps a
52	52	person restore or improve skills and functioning for daily living that have been
53	53	lost or impaired; and
54	54	(6) "Speech therapy" means the therapeutic care provided to an
55	55	individual for treatment administered by a licensed speech language pathologist.
56	56	(b) A health benefit plan that amends, renews, or delivers a policy of coverage
57	57	on or after July 1, 2025, and that provides coverage for:
58	58	(1) Habilitative services, must provide coverage for habilitative speech
59	59	therapy as a treatment for stuttering, regardless of whether the stuttering is
60	60	classified as developmental;
61	61	(2) Rehabilitative services, must provide coverage for rehabilitative
62	62	speech therapy as a treatment for stuttering; or
63	63	(3) Both habilitative services and rehabilitative services, must provide the
64	64	coverage required under subdivisions (b)(1) and (2).
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69	69	(c) The coverage required under subsection (b):
70	70	(1) Must not be subject to any maximum annual benefit limit, including
71	71	any limits on the number of visits an insured may make to a speech-language
72	72	pathologist;
73	73	(2) Must not be limited based on the type of disease, injury, disorder, or
74	74	other medical condition that resulted in the stuttering;
75	75	(3) Must not be subject to utilization review or utilization management
76	76	requirements, including prior authorization or a determination that the speech
77	77	therapy services are medically necessary; and
78	78	(4) Must include coverage for speech therapy provided in person and via
79	79	telehealth.
80	80	SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.