Louisiana § RS 24:603.1 - Mandated health insurance benefits; impact reports

§ RS 24:603.1. Mandated health insurance benefits; impact reports

A.  Every bill, joint resolution and simple or concurrent resolution which will require health insurers, health maintenance organizations, or preferred provider organizations to offer mandated benefits or mandated options to its insureds, enrollees, or subscribers shall have attached to it prior to its consideration by any committee of either house of the legislature, unless the committee otherwise decides, an impact report which shall include a reliable estimate of the negative or positive fiscal effect of such measure, including both its costs and savings.  An impact report shall not constitute a part of the law proposed by the measure to which it is attached.

B.(1)  The author of a measure requiring an impact report shall be responsible for obtaining the report from the legislative fiscal officer either directly or through the staff of the house in which the author serves.

(2)  In addition, the chairman of the committee to which such measure is referred may request such a report from the legislative fiscal officer immediately upon referral of the measure and the secretary of the Senate and the clerk of the House of Representatives may request such a report upon introduction of the measure.

(3)  The legislative fiscal officer shall be responsible for obtaining, directly or through another agency, through a political subdivision or agency thereof, through the proponents and opponents of the measure, or through the health actuary of the Department of Insurance, the information necessary to complete an impact report from the agency or political subdivision or agency thereof best suited to furnish the information in the judgment of the legislative fiscal officer.

C.  The impact report shall be factual, brief, and concise, and shall provide an estimate in dollars of the immediate and long-range fiscal effect of the measure.  If no dollar estimate is possible, the impact report shall set forth the reasons therefor.  An impact report shall not contain reference to the merits of the measure.

D.  As used in this Section, "health insurer" shall include any entity which issues a hospital, health, or medical expense insurance policy, hospital or medical service contract, employee welfare benefit plan, health and accident insurance policy, or any other insurance contract of this type, including a group insurance plan and a self-insurance plan.

Acts 1997, No. 1481, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1220, §1.