BILL NUMBER: SB 205 CHAPTERED 09/28/99 CHAPTER 543 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER 28, 1999 APPROVED BY GOVERNOR SEPTEMBER 27, 1999 PASSED THE SENATE SEPTEMBER 10, 1999 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 9, 1999 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 24, 1999 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JULY 7, 1999 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 24, 1999 AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 6, 1999 AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 5, 1999 INTRODUCED BY Senator Perata (Coauthor: Assembly Member Wesson) JANUARY 20, 1999 An act to add Section 1367.665 to the Health and Safety Code, and to add Section 10123.20 to the Insurance Code, relating to health coverage. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 205, Perata. Health coverage: cancer screening tests. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans administered by the Commissioner of Corporations. Under existing law, willful violation of any of these provisions is punishable as either a felony or a misdemeanor. Existing law also provides for the regulation of policies of disability insurance administered by the Insurance Commissioner. Existing law requires health care service plans and disability insurers to provide coverage for certain benefits and services. This bill would require that every health care service plan contract, except for a specialized health care service plan, and disability insurance policies or contracts, with specified exceptions, that cover hospital, medical, or surgical expenses, that are issued, amended, delivered, or renewed on or after July 1, 2000, be deemed to provide coverage for all generally medically accepted cancer screening tests, subject to all terms and conditions that would otherwise apply. Since a willful violation of the provisions applicable to health care service plans is a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 1367.665 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read: 1367.665. Every individual or group health care service plan contract, except for a specialized health care service plan contract, that is issued, amended, delivered, or renewed on or after July 1, 2000, shall be deemed to provide coverage for all generally medically accepted cancer screening tests, subject to all terms and conditions that would otherwise apply. SEC. 2. Section 10123.20 is added to the Insurance Code, to read: 10123.20. (a) Every individual or group disability insurance policy that covers hospital, medical, or surgical expenses that is issued, amended, delivered, or renewed on or after July 1, 2000, shall be deemed to provide coverage for all generally medically accepted cancer screening tests, subject to all other terms and conditions that would otherwise apply. (b) This section shall not apply to vision-only, dental-only, accident-only, specified disease, hospital indemnity, Medicare supplement, long-term care, or disability income insurance, except that for accident-only, specified disease, or hospital indemnity insurance, coverage for benefits under this section shall apply to the extent that the benefits are covered under the general terms and conditions that apply to all other benefits under the policy or contract. Nothing in this section shall be construed as imposing a new benefit mandate on accident-only, specified disease, or hospital indemnity insurance. SEC. 3. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution.