HB 499 Summary

• Requires insurers, health maintenance organizations, and nonprofit hospital/medical service plan corporations to make mental and nervous disorder benefits available without requiring an additional premium for group health insurance policies and contracts.

• Reduces minimum inpatient hospitalization benefits from 45 to 30 days per benefit year and allows unused inpatient hospital benefits to transfer to outpatient or residential treatment benefits.

• Changes outpatient benefits limitation from 30 hours of consultation to $1,000 per benefit year for licensed physicians, psychologists, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, and clinical social workers.

• Increases partial hospitalization services benefit limit from 30 days to 121 days of equivalent inpatient psychiatric hospitalization costs per benefit year when combined with inpatient services.

• Defines "residential treatment" as placement for observation, diagnosis, or treatment in a facility licensed under Florida statutes 394.875 or chapter 395, and requires alternative residential treatment benefits meet minimum levels.

• Takes effect July 1, 2018.