03/28/2019 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

            HB 29-INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR TELEHEALTH                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:00:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  SPOHNHOLZ announced  that  the next  order of  business                                                               
would  be  HOUSE BILL  NO.  29,  "An  Act relating  to  insurance                                                               
coverage for benefits provided  through telehealth; and providing                                                               
for an effective date."                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:00:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BERNICE  NESBITT,  Staff,  Representative Ivy  Spohnholz,  Alaska                                                               
State Legislature,  paraphrased from  the Sectional  Analysis for                                                               
HB 29 [Included in members' packets], which read:                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1.                                                                                                             
     AS  21.42.422 has  been  amended  to require  insurance                                                                    
     coverage   for   health   benefits   provided   through                                                                    
     telehealth technology.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Section 2.                                                                                                             
     AS 21.42.422  is a new  subsection that  defines health                                                                    
     care insurer  as a person  transacting the  business of                                                                    
     health   care  insurance   except   for  a   nonfederal                                                                    
     governmental  plan.  It  also adds  the  definition  of                                                                    
     telehealth  under  47.05.270(e)   as  the  practice  of                                                                    
     health    care    delivery,   evaluation,    diagnosis,                                                                    
     consultation,  or  treatment,  using  the  transfer  of                                                                    
     health  care  data  through   audio,  visual,  or  data                                                                    
     communications,  performed over  two or  more locations                                                                    
     between  providers who  are  physically separated  from                                                                    
     the recipient or from each  other or between a provider                                                                    
     and a recipient who  are physically separated from each                                                                    
     other.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Section 3                                                                                                              
     The  changes  to Section  1  of  this bill  applies  to                                                                    
     health care  insurance plans that are  offered, issued,                                                                    
     delivered, or renewed on or after the effective date.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Section 4                                                                                                              
     The effective  date is July  1, 2020. As  a preliminary                                                                    
     matter, note that a sectional  summary of a bill should                                                                    
     not  be considered  an authoritative  interpretation of                                                                    
     the bill  -- the bill  itself is the best  statement of                                                                    
     its contents.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
4:01:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND  moved to report  HB 29 out  of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.  There being no objection,  HB 29 was moved from the House                                                               
Health and Social Services Standing Committee.